Kiambu County is the first county to implement the Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) project, just days before the official national debut by President Ruto scheduled for October 20th of this year.
The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the county administration of Kiambu collaborated to hold the grand launch of the Kiambu Afia programme at Kirigiti International Stadium.
The action, according to Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, is a major step towards his goal of providing health care to every resident of Kiambu, regardless of their financial situation.
“What you see today is an embodiment of a promise that no one in Kiambu County will again make an agonising decision in order to receive medical treatment,” stated Wamatangi.
He added that out of the 7,600 households that were registered by NHIF during the mass registration exercise last year, about 3,000 households have benefited under the ‘Afia Yetu, Jukumu Letu’ initiative.
“Already 3,000 vulnerable households have been registered under the ‘Kiambu afia’, also known as the ‘Wamatangi care’ programme, where we credit their NHIF cards with up to Sh. 100,000 annually to ensure they access health care free of charge,” the governor added.
The county administrator also disclosed that, as of the beginning of the following month, all community health promoters will be paid on a monthly basis as members of the county staff.
Each of the county’s ambulances has been fully outfitted, and 24 more have been purchased so that every ward has two operating ambulances.
“The county government will be spending about Sh200 million in each of our 116 hospitals for renovations and rehabilitation works, as well as to ensure that each hospital has up to 85 per cent medicine stock,” remarked the Governor.
To enhance access to high-quality healthcare for all inhabitants, NHIF Chairman Eng. Michael Kamau urged the other county governments to follow the example set by Kiambu County.
“In order to attain our aspirations within the Kenya Vision 2030, it is vital that all counties focus on creating partnerships with the private sector, NGOs, and civil society groups so as to increase funding and sustain some of the health programmes that will aid in achieving the Social Pillar,” said Kamau.
