Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha announced on Wednesday a government initiative to establish a comprehensive plan aimed at upgrading maternity care services under the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF). This initiative is set to provide extensive coverage for various maternity-related services.
According to Nakhumicha, the new insurance fund will cover both normal and cesarean section deliveries, as well as antenatal and postnatal care services. “We have a comprehensive maternity package where we are covering delivery, whether normal or cesarean section delivery, we are covering antenatal and postnatal care,” she stated.
Highlighting the improvements over the previous National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), Nakhumicha emphasized that SHIF offers enhanced benefits, including increased tariffs for maternity services. For instance, the tariff for normal delivery in public facilities under NHIF was Ksh5,000, which has been raised to Ksh11,200 under SHIF.
Similarly, compensation for cesarean section deliveries has been significantly increased from Ksh17,000 under NHIF to Ksh32,000 under SHIF. “We were paying Ksh17,000 for a cesarean section under NHIF, and right now we have moved that to Ksh32,000,” Nakhumicha explained.
These changes are part of the government’s broader efforts to improve the quality of maternal healthcare and ensure adequate compensation for healthcare facilities providing these services.
Nakhumicha’s announcement comes amidst concerns among Kenyans regarding the legality and operation of the proposed SHIF, with some questioning the government’s intention to abolish NHIF entirely. The Ministry of Health continues to address these concerns as part of its ongoing efforts to implement the new health insurance framework.
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