She says the county is working towards providing all its citizens with affordable healthcare in a period of four years/FILE
KISUMU, Kenya, Aug 9 – Kisumu County is set to roll out a massive registration drive for the Universal Health Care coverage.
The County Executive Committee Member for Health Dr Rosemary Obara says all the county residents will have access to the National Hospital Insurance Fund cover for quality health services.
“Access to healthcare enables people to be more productive and active contributors to their families, communities and society,” she says.
She says the county is working towards providing all its citizens with affordable healthcare in a period of four years.
People who are unable to pay will benefit from premium subsidy while the formally employed and the informal sector members with ability to pay will do so directly to NHIF.
Obara announced that the county has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for technical assistance with PharmAccess Foundation to offer digital technology for healthcare.
“The partnership with PharmAccess will also ensure access to quality programs and loans for healthcare providers to strengthen the availability and quality of medical services in Kisumu,” she said.
Obara says the county aims to use the digital platform that includes a mobile health wallet to help achieve Universal Health Care in a cost effective and transparent way.
The mobile technology, she noted, will also enable the county community health volunteers to enrol the population onto NHIF.
“The same technology will allow for innovative premium payment solutions for the population such as savings and loans,” she says.
PharmAccess Foundation Country Director Isaiah Okoth noted that successful Public-Private Partnerships have the potential to accelerate investment into healthcare.
“By harnessing the power of mobile technology, we are putting Kisumu and the country at large in the frontline of healthcare innovation,” says Okoth.
Kisumu is among the four counties that are piloting the UHC programme.
Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o in recent days announced that a pilot program was successful in three sub locations in Seme Sub-County forming the basis of the grand county registration rollout.
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