Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja's plans of providing thousands of families with medical cover are in high gear even as cost of healthcare soars.
In an address on Thursday, February 16, the County boss noted that he was preparing to launch the first face of the medical cover in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Sakaja explained that the county will pay a sum of Ksh8,600 expected to accord 232,000 families access to medical treatment.
He further noted that the programme, which aims to give individuals from poor households access to medical healthcare, will offer inpatient, outpatient, dental and optical services.
“I have been keenly observing what has been happening in other counties and especially in Murang’a and as Nairobi County we will soon start registering the 232,000 poor families which will benefit from this cover,” stated Sakaja.
As medical costs continue to rise, families from poor households often grapple with hefty bills and some shun seeking medical attention due to lack of funds.
Sakaja's program will, however, also offer the families last expenses amounting up to Ksh100,000 per household.
The Governor further explained that in the first phase, qualifying families will consist of 50 households from each polling station.
“The last expense cash of Ksh100,000 payable to principal member plus dependants,” the Governor added.
The announcement came days after Sakaja was criticised by doctors in Nairobi County for not giving them comprehensive National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) coverage.
The doctors, drawn from the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Nairobi branch, were irked by his admission that he did not have a deed of novation and therefore could not do anything about the matter.
A deed of novation refers to a legal contract that dissolves an old agreement and replaces it with a new one. It's also called "a covenant not to enforce" or "a covenant not to sue."
