Gov't to cater for 100% of Cancer treatment - Health CS Nakhumicha

Health Cabinet Secretary Wafula Nakhumicha now says that screenings, diagnostics and treatments for Cancer will be fully covered under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) whose implementation and enforcement was suspended by the High Court on Monday.

Speaking on Citizen TV's ‘The Big Conversation’ show on Wednesday, CS Nakhumicha acknowledged the limitations of the current National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) system while at the same time adding that significant reforms have been introduced to address the gaps specifically for chronic illnesses like Cancer.

"It is true that currently NHIF does not cover screening and some of the diagnostics and that is one of the reasons we have reformed NHIF," said Nakhumicha.

"Specifically for Cancer, we have ensured that we are covering screening and diagnostics at 100 per cent; we have ensured that all treatment for Cancer is covered 100 per cent because we have a publicly funded primary health system where most of the screening and diagnostics will happen."

Highlighting a significant aspect of the reformed system, the Health CS elaborated on the Emergency, Critical, and Chronic Illness Fund, designed to assist individuals facing severe health challenges.

"Once we kick in to the secondary care, we have the Social Health Insurance and that is where your insurance will be taking care of you without exclusion or hesitation. But the best of the Social Health Authority is the third fund which is the Emergency, Critical and Chronic Illness Fund," she said.

"We have established that in a year we need about Ksh.46 billion in that fund and out of the Ksh.46 billion, Ksh.42 billion is for Cancer care so we have put in place a mechanism to ensure we are taking care of it from the point of screening, diagnostics, treatment and if you need chronic maintenance including rehabilitation and palliative care. It is being covered under the social health authority."

Susan Nakhumicha: Currently, NHIF does not cover screening and some of the diagnostics. That is one of the reasons why we have reformed NHIF. There is a limit within NHIF that the treatment can be covered. What we have done in Social Health Authority is to ensure that we take… pic.twitter.com/UdFePN4mFG— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) November 29, 2023