Mothers nurse their babies at a nursery in Coast General Hospital, Maternity Wing. FILE PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT
What you need to know:
The money will henceforth be channelled to the National Hospital Insurance Fund, which will release it to hospitals as reimbursements for user-fees foregone.
Governors have lost control of Sh3.4 billion for free maternal health care in a raft of changes made by Parliament through the Division of Revenue Bill.
The special grant — meant to reimburse hospitals —has been taken away from the control of the 47 county governments and reallocated to the national government.
The money will henceforth be channelled to the National Hospital Insurance Fund, which will release it to hospitals as reimbursements for user-fees foregone.
“The national government share includes Sh3.4 billion which is a special grant to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) for free maternal health care, to be disbursed as reimbursements,” the Bill, published by Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC) chairman Mutava Musyimi on January 5, 2017, states.
The Bill provides for the equitable division of revenue raised nationally among national and county governments as required by Article 218 of the Constitution to facilitate the proper functioning of county governments and to ensure continuous services.
President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013 announced provision of free maternity services leading to the waiver of user fees in public health facilities.
Parliament has allocated Sh13 billion to counties as conditional grants for health sector in 2017/18 budget.
