The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) seeks to stop the payment of chronic ailments to private hospitals. This move comes at a blow to private hospitals in the country. Private hospitals have increased their capacity and equipment s that are used to treat chronic diseases.
As the Kenyan working class continues to increase and earn more. A good number of this working Kenyans opt for private hospitals instead of public hospitals. The reason for this shift is that private hospitals in the country have invested heavily on medical equipment and their maintenance.
Unlike in Public Hospitals were a good number of medical equipment s especially for chronic disease are either not available or in bad condition. For this reason the NHIF has been paying huge amounts of money to private hospitals in terms of claims.
However the state backed insurer seeks to change this. They have presented a bill in parliament seeking to exclude to private hospitals from the chronic illness list. If the amendment sails through then top notch private hospital will suffer a big blow in the accounts.
Universal Health Coverage
Kenyans especially in the informal sector have been joining the insurer in a bid to cushion themselves from the pain of huge medical bills. Kenya is currently trying to enact the Universal health coverage plan that seeks to ensure that every Kenyan has access to quality health care.
The NHIF has been at logger heads with the private hospitals association after it slashed the amount of fees the hospitals charge. This motion will very much likely cause a rift in parliament as the members debate over the proposals.
RELIEF AS MPs SHOOT DOWN THE NHIF BILL
Under the Universal Health Coverage, every Kenyan has a right to quality health care. Every Kenyan is required by law to enrol into the NHIF.
