Kenya’s President William Ruto has given permission for a new law that will bring major changes to the country’s health sector. This is the most significant update in over 20 years.
His plan is centered on making sure everyone gets healthcare. It means that everyone who works has to give 2. 75% of their pay to a special fund for health.
The government promises to make healthcare cheaper and easier to get for poor Kenyans.
However, many Kenyans do not like it because they think of it as a new tax.
They are saying that Mr. Ruto has introduced more measures that are making the cost of living crisis worse. This is despite the fact that he won elections last year by promising to help families with their financial difficulties.
Some people are worried that the new healthcare fund will be corrupted, just like the current one. This means that they might not be able to get the healthcare services that they should be getting.
However, parliament has supported Mr Ruto by approving the Social Health Insurance Bill, along with three other bills related to health, on Tuesday.
Right now, people in Kenya have to give an amount of money every month to a health insurance program called NHIF. The amount they have to pay can be anywhere from 150 Kenyan shillings to 1,700 shillings.
It will be changed to a new fund, where you need to give at least twice the amount of money, and most people with jobs will give a greater percentage of their earnings.
Susan Nakhumicha, Kenya’s Health Minister, said that the new plan is good because it will let people in Kenya from all backgrounds give money based on how much they earn.
She said that people who earn less money have to pay a larger portion of their income compared to those who are wealthier.
Employers, who have to add money to their employees’ contributions, disagree with the 2. 75% deduction because they think it is too much.
They are saying that this will harm businesses and make the cost of living even worse. This caused people in Kenya to protest earlier this year.
In June, Mr. Ruto approved the Finance Act, a new law that made employers and employees pay a 1. 5% This money will help the government create affordable housing because prices are very high, and many city-dwelling Kenyans cannot afford to buy homes.
Some groups that focus on health and society have also criticized the health plan, stating that the 2. 75% deduction is significant. This is especially concerning because fuel prices and living costs have recently increased.
In September, the Kenya Faith Based Health Services Consortium stated that this rate burdens struggling individuals who earn a fixed income and have the responsibility of supporting big families and various services.
Kenyan people must sign up for the National Social Health Insurance Fund to use public health services. If they don’t register, they won’t be able to get these services.
The government will support Kenyans who cannot give money to the fund by providing 26 billion shillings.
The new fund will replace the current NHIF. The NHIF has lost a lot of money due to corruption, which means many people who have been paying for healthcare cannot access it.
Some people in Kenya are worried that the new fund will have more money, and this could lead to more corruption. They are also concerned that they will still not receive healthcare from the government.
Critics are worried that the new social healthcare organization will use most of the money it collects on things like paperwork and staff salaries, instead of putting it towards actual medical care.
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Kenya’s president signs contentious healthcare law
