The National Hospital Insurance Fund, the premier insurer of the poor millions that have the luxury of a private medical cover, is in a deep financial hole. Last week, Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Wafula made a desperate public appeal to Treasury mandarins to save NHIF by paying out the Sh20 billion arrears required to keep the health parastatal afloat. Within days of her statement, private hospitals in rural areas, where the NHIF is needed most, started turning away patients. Big or small, all hospitals that have a contract with the NHIF and that treat patients cannot be expected to provide services for free. What’s more, the early symptoms that patients are likely to ignore might develop into major health conditions as a result.

Source: Daily Nation June 05, 2023 04:36 UTC