NHIF Contributions To Be Deducted From Mobile Cash Accounts- CS Kagwe
National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) contributions will be deducted from their mobile money transactions according to the proposals.
If the proposals sails through, then the NHIF contributions will be deducted from individual’s mobile cash account.
The ministry of health CS Mutahi Kagwe says that the State through the health ministry is in talks with Safaricom service providers and other telecommunications companies on proposal that is aimed at funding the Universal Health Coverage.
If the proposal sails through, then the mobile money service providers will develop a system that would see eligible Kenyans deducted Sh17 from their daily transactions as NHIF contribution.
“We are working with firms like Safaricom and other money service providers, so that when you are doing your normal transactions, if you allow them to, they will just deduct Sh17 from your daily transactions. You will not notice it and they will send it to NHIF and even before you know it, you have a cover,” Kagwe said in an interview in Mombasa.
CS Kagwe announced that in a week’s time the ministry will update the Kenyans over the new scheme so that those eligible for NHIF cover can subscribe to the daily deduction services through the mobile service providers.
“We are in the negotiating stage. We have done a lot of work with them, I think in the next couple of days we will be announcing this scheme to the public,” CS Kagwe added.
The government through the Ministry of Health has been urging Kenyans to enroll for the NHIF cover and make monthly contributions to help them during time of need.
CS Kagwe said that many Kenyans ignore the call of the government to enroll for the NHIF cover until when they needed it that is the time they realise its importance.
Each NHIF beneficially in the new proposal will pay Sh17 daily and the dependents are covered. That’s the sort of thinking that we must have.
“Universal Health Care is about giving money to register a vulnerable group of people, that is just one of the aspects of UHC of affordability, meaning that one who is not able to pay can access quality and affordable healthcare,” said Kagwe.
