EDITORIAL: NHIF owes contributors better outpatient cover

For Kenyans, who have had to deal with the ever mounting medical fundraisers, the National Hospital Insurance Fund’s (NHIF) recent advancement into covering treatment for major conditions such as kidney dialysis must have come as a godsend.

Nothing can be more draining on a family or a community than a huge medical bill, probably when planning a funeral after chalking up a huge hospital bill.

NHIF’s recent expansion to cover the elderly and the unemployed is a big step in the right direction that needs to continue maturing and expanding.

It must, however, be noted that over and above the vulnerable segment of the society, those in formal employment do pay a premium in statutory deductions for the social insurance.

For that the NHIF has a very onerous obligation to ensure such contributors get value for their money. That is why it is important that NHIF conclude talks with top hospitals to allow such members to access outpatient services in the top-notch health facilities.

The access has been delayed since 2015 and it is only fair that those being made to pay twice for the health services – in private medical covers and statutory deductions — get value from it.

So even as we welcome the NHIF assurance, we cannot fail to point out that this far the fund has failed Kenyans by not providing the poor, and even the employed, with adequate outpatient services.

The truth is that the majority of those contributing to the NHIF mostly need support for outpatient services that also serves to keep people away from hospital beds.

Apart from sections of the civil service, most people are not effectively served by NHIF at various facilities for outpatient sickness.

For the fund to better serve Kenyans and achieve the mandate of enhancing health as a key development enabler, it must address this anomaly.

And if that cannot be achieved immediately, the fund must come up with a clear timetable and process of achieving this.