NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 27 – Kenyans will start contributing 2.75 percent of their gross salary to the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) set to replace the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) in July.
Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakhumicha yesterday said registration into the SHIF will start next month and end in June.
The CS added that Kenyans will start to enjoy health benefits in the fund in the 2024–25 financial year.
“Our aim as a ministry is to commence registration from the first week of March from our regulations. This will go on up to June and thereafter; we intend to begin payment contributions at a rate of 2.75 per cent with a minimum payment of Sh300,” she said.
“Our hope is that access to these benefits will start in the month of July,” Nakhumicha added.
The health ministry has been conducting national validation workshops on the new social health insurance regulations to collect both public and stakeholder views before the SHIF is adopted.
“All stakeholders involved have been consulted and thus the document will be presented to the Attorney General for gazettement will be inclusive,” said CS Nakhumicha.
According to CS Nakhumicha, the implementation of the SHIF will help the government root out corruption witnessed during payments of health care services through the NHIF.
She assured that the ministry is committed to working with county governments in the implementation of SHIF.
However, the Council of Governors has lamented the rushing of the implementation of SHIF, stating that the ministry has bypassed their input and only involved them when they have voiced their inclusion.
Governors want the issue of claims to public hospitals addressed with speed, noting that most of the beneficiaries of claims may be in private hospitals, as witnessed in NHIF.
