Call for key amendments to the NHIF Bill before President Assents it into law
By Dickson Odhiambo
January 9, 2022
Call for key amendments
to the NHIF Bill before President Assents it into law
The
Governors across the country now want the National Hospital Insurance Fund Bill
to be amended before the President assents it into law.
Chairman of
the Committee of Health at the Council of Governors Prof Peter Anyang Nyong’o
says there are six key areas which need amendments before President Uhuru
Kenyatta signs the NHIF Bill that has since been passed by both the National
Assembly and the Senate into law.
Addressing the
press in Kisumu today, Nyong’o who is also the Kisumu Governor said the six
areas that need amendments include on
how to manage the funds, Financial resources for primary health cares in
counties, the quality of care, infrastructural development, Private sector
Development and Central Board of Governance.
On the issue of the management of the
funds, Governor Nyong’o says the country needs
to establish an insurance bank to manage NHIF funds, adding that this fund must
be created by further amendment of the current NHIF Bill.
He says this should be under overall
supervision of the Central Bank of Kenya, Ministry of Health and Insurance
Regulatory Authority.
On Financial resources for primary
health cares in counties, Nyong’o says there
needs to be community participation and ownership in the structure and functioning
of universal healthcare.
The
Council of Governor’s Committee of Health propose that primary healthcare
financing be anchored on community health leadership structures and level 2 and
3 facilities
They further proposes that community
health committees be remunerated and tasked with amongst other things
enrollment of community members into the scheme and ensuring regular payment.
“Structures
must be established to implement the community component of health insurance.
In this regard, the Council of Governors should recommend how these structures
can be established, given the experiences of establishing devolved units in the
47 Counties,” Read part of the press statement.
On
quality care, they propose that quality assurance and supervision functions
should remain central to successful UHC implementation.
“To
effectively achieve Universal Health Coverage, we MUST have healthcare
institutions which operate optimally and provide the much-needed quality of
care. The new NHIF Bill
must ensure that there is Value for Money to meet expectations of the
population mandated by law to make payments for healthcare services,” the
statement further says.
On infrastructural development, the team
recommends that NHIF should support infrastructure
development, facility repair and maintenance, adding that the new Bill should
establish a Planning Division to undertake this task.
“The
NHIF funds should be invested to improve healthcare infrastructure,
upgrading/building clinics and hospitals. This requires a planning Division
(headed by a director) which coordinates with the Ministry of Health, Works and
the County Governments. NHIF should support such a Planning Division to perform
the following that include Review the current healthcare facility structures
and recommend necessary improvements like Facility construction, Facility repair and
maintenance, Ensure Green energy, Evaluate all requests for infrastructure
support by NHIF and approve disbursement of loans,” they further say.
On
Private sector Development, they propose
that overall, the
NHIF funds should contribute to development of the private sector in a
strategic way, adding that the Funds can be made available as low-interest
loans to the private sector.
“In
return, NHIF, the Ministry of Health and the County Governments should demand
accountability and responsibility from the private sector,” they further observed.
On Central
Board of Governance, they say there should be a Board of Governance
which oversees all the above, adding that the Board should have representatives
of the key stakeholders like the Ministry of Health, Central Bank of Kenya,
Kenya Bureau of Standards, Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board, Pharmacy
and Poisons Board, and the Council of Governors.
The
Council of Governors on Committee of Health urges President Kenyatta take a good look at the proposed NHIF Bill and noting
the proposals it has made.
“The President should refer it back to the
Parliament for further review to take into account these and any other
suggestions made as part of Public Participation in the drafting of the new
Bill,” they say.
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