Kenya has registered more than 32.3 million people under its new health financing system as the government steps up efforts to expand access to healthcare and reduce the financial burden on families.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale highlighted the progress during a high-level ministerial dialogue held on the sidelines of the 76th session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa.
The meeting brought together health ministers from across Africa to discuss how countries can raise and manage funds for healthcare while moving closer to Universal Health Coverage.
Duale said Kenya’s shift from the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA) was aimed at addressing gaps in the previous system and making health coverage more accessible to people outside formal employment.
He said the previous insurance system covered only about a quarter of the population, leaving many farmers, traders, casual workers and low-income households to pay for treatment directly.
This, according to the CS, resulted in families spending about USD1.2 billion every year on healthcare from their own pockets, often putting households under financial pressure when serious illness struck.
32.3 million Kenyans registered
Duale also noted that more than 32.3 million people have so far registered through SHA, accounting for about 55 per cent of the population in the country.
The government has also assumed the responsibility of funding the provision of primary health care in the country, with more than USD210 million being put into funding services in community-based and primary care facilities.
As per the CS, the financing changes have been able to support more than 20 million outpatient consultations of 15 million people.
The program has also helped in providing more than 1.2 million safe deliveries and around 500,000 surgeries, the ministry stated.
In the case of patients who are suffering from life-threatening illnesses, the government said that the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness fund has assisted more than 50,000 patients suffering from cancer and 21,000 patients undergoing dialysis.
Health system goes digital
The government is also relying on technology to improve how healthcare services and payments are managed.
Duale said 6,424 out of 6,727 health facilities, representing more than 95 per cent, have been digitised.
SHA has also automated processes such as registration, pre-authorisation and claims processing.
The government says digitisation is expected to improve efficiency and transparency while making it easier to track health services and payments.
Duale used the meeting to call on African countries to increase domestic investment in healthcare and reduce dependence on external funding.
He said sustainable health financing would require political commitment, better use of technology and partnerships between governments and international organisations.
For Kenya, the government says the ongoing reforms are aimed at ensuring that access to medical care is determined by a person’s health needs rather than their ability to pay.