By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with EMMANUEL WANJALA
Published on 2024-01-19 17:08:44
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has expressed her approval of the Appellate court’s ruling that lifted the stay order on the implementation of the Social Health Insurance Act. The court also lifted orders restraining the implementation of the Primary Health Care Act, 2023, and the Digital Health Act, 2023 issued by High Court Judge Justice Chacha Mwita on November 27, 2023.
“This fund will pave the way for the implementation of Universal Health Coverage – which will make healthcare available and affordable to all Kenyans,” CS Nakhumicha said in a statement on Friday.
The lifting of the order now gives the green light for the implementation of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF). She lauded the Court of Appeal for its swift decision and stated that the fund’s establishment aligns perfectly with UHC strategies and is a cornerstone of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda of the Kenya Kwanza Government.
The Social Health Insurance Act, 2023 provides for the extension of health insurance to all Kenyans based on member contributions, with government-subsidized coverage for the poor. It also mandates the creation of three funds to cover different types of services: the Primary Healthcare Fund, the Social Health Insurance Fund, and the Emergency, Chronic And Critical Illness Fund.
CS Nakhumicha highlighted that the Social Health Insurance Fund will establish a consolidated pool of contributions and provide funds for purchasing healthcare services from accredited health providers and facilities. The coverage will be comprehensive, affordable, equitable, and non-discriminatory towards Kenyans based on their ailments.
She also mentioned that the implementation of the Social Health Insurance Act will phase out the NHIF and replace it with the Social Health Insurance Fund.
However, there are concerns raised in a petition by Kenyan Joseph Aura challenging the implementation of the Fund, claiming that all three Health Acts are unconstitutional on several fronts and discriminate against Kenyans who are not digitally registered on the social fund.
The Court of Appeal judges suspended certain provisions of the Social Health Insurance Act, acknowledging the concerns raised in the petition. They also suspended certain sections of the Digital Health Act, which provides for the establishment of the Digital Health Agency for health data collection purposes.
Read the original article on The Star
