Kenyans can now access free emergency medical care, whether they are enrolled with the Social Health Authority (SHA) or not.
The announcement was made by SHA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, who explained that the new development is part of the government’s plan of ensuring no Kenyan is denied emergency care because of a lack of money.
In the new scheme, SHA will also cover emergency evacuation costs up to Ksh 4,500 within a 25-kilometre radius and fund the first 24 hours of emergency treatment for all citizens.
Dr. Mwangangi also revealed that the Authority is setting up a National Ambulance Dispatch Centre to organize ambulance responses across the country. Callers will be able to report their location through a dedicated emergency number, facilitating fast dispatch and response times.
She clarified that after the first 24 hours, patients under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) will continue to be catered for under their insurance, while the rest will have to pay from their own pockets.
The scheme, she added, should help reduce maternal mortality, child mortality, and mortality from road accidents areas where emergency response delayed has in most cases cost lives.
Concurrently, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) has moved to strengthen regulation of the emergency care industry.
In a notice published recently, KMPDC Chief Executive Officer David Kariuki directed all providers of ambulance and emergency care to register with the Council.
Registration, according to Kariuki, will allow all ambulance services to meet national standards and pave the way for the operationalisation of SHA’s Emergency, Critical Care, and Chronic Illness Fund.
“All the providers of ambulance services and practitioners of emergency care must register with the Council under the provisions of the Health Act, 2017 and the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act,” read the notice in part.
The guidelines and forms for registration are available on the website of the Council, and one can submit online or at its offices.
