Once the NHIF bill is signed into law, one million needy families across the country will be registered in the Universal Health Care (UHC) program.
Sabina Chege, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, stated that the families that will benefit from UHC have already been identified and that if the bill is passed, they will be able to receive free medical care.
She stated that the Senate made certain revisions to the draft, which the Committee approved, and that the law will be presented to the National Assembly on January 22.
"The law will be in the National Assembly between the 22nd and 23rd of January, and if passed, it will be given to the President for assent." "The named households will begin receiving free medical care by the end of January once the bill becomes law," Chege stated during a walk-in Murang'a town on Saturday.
Chege, who is also the Murang’a Woman representative, stated that the Health Ministry has allocated Sh6 billion to roll out UHC in the current fiscal year.
"When the government first implemented UHC in four counties two years ago, it was clear that the program would assist only the poorest families. In Murang'a, Chege claimed, "22, 000 families were identified to be enrolled in the scheme."
The UHC is estimated to benefit around 5 million needy families across the country in the future, according to the updated proposal given to the NHIF.
The bill also calls for every Kenyan to become a member of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) in order to assist the provision of low-cost medical care.
According to Chege, the government intends to grow the number of beneficiaries to more than 4 million in two years after launching the UHC scheme.
