President William Ruto has announced that all Kenyans will now be entitled to free ambulance evacuation and the first 24 hours of emergency medical treatment under the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund.
In a statement on Wednesday, the President said the fund will cater for ambulance evacuation and emergency treatment at approved tariffs, regardless of whether a patient is registered with the Social Health Authority (SHA) or has been making SHA contributions.
“Ambulance evacuation and the first 24 hours of emergency treatment will be paid for by the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund at approved tariffs. This protection applies whether a patient is registered with SHA or not, and whether or not they have paid for SHA,” President Ruto said.
The announcement is expected to provide relief to thousands of Kenyans who require urgent medical attention but are unable to afford emergency care or have not enrolled in the country’s health insurance scheme.
The move is part of the government’s ongoing health sector reforms aimed at expanding access to essential healthcare services and ensuring that no Kenyan is denied life-saving emergency treatment because of financial constraints.
Health experts have previously emphasized that prompt access to emergency services significantly improves survival rates, making the government’s commitment a major step toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund is one of the key pillars supporting the implementation of the Social Health Authority, which replaced the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) as part of Kenya’s healthcare reforms. It is designed to cushion patients facing costly emergencies and critical illnesses while reducing out-of-pocket medical expenses.
