Boda Boda Riders to Have Dedicated Hospitals in New Reforms

Health Minister Susan Nakhumicha has said that the Ministry of Health is taking steps to upgrade the dedicated hospitals for boda-boda riders. 

At the launch of BodaBoda Care on Monday, the CS highlighted the importance of the riders' well-being and mentioned that health personnel are being trained to provide better care. She added that referral hospitals throughout the country will have qualified staff to attend to injuries and mental health issues. The CS conveyed that all boda-boda riders will be provided with one year of free membership in the NHIF system, which will allow them to access better health care and also motivate them to be cautious when driving. 

In March, the Ministry of Health started the process of transforming the National Health Insurance Fund into a National Social Health Insurance Fund, with the aim of improving the fund's effectiveness and openness. This means that once the new system is operational, it will pay out an equivalent amount for services offered in any healthcare facility, regardless of whether it is a public, private, or faith-based one.

“As we reform NHIF we want to have a new vehicle; a social health insurance that takes care of the needs of Kenyans, that should a patient choose to walk to Coptic hospital, Coptic will have its bill paid by a new social health insurance scheme,” Nakhumicha said. 

Meanwhile, Kenya will from Monday host the first-ever summit on high-level national dialogue on health financing. The event brings together a variety of stakeholders in the health industry, such as the Ministry of Health, the Council of Governors, the African Union, the EAC Ministers, the Global Fund, the Gates Foundation, USAID, and UNAIDS. The purpose of the summit is to help align all of the participants in order to create a sustainable and dependable way to finance healthcare that adheres to national and regional agreements.

Kenya is the third African nation and the first in East Africa to hold this type of dialogue, with previous gatherings being hosted in Malawi and Zambia. The African Union has given the regional economic communities the task of supporting their member countries in establishing national health financing dialogues.