Kajiado governor Joseph ole Lenku has urged Kajiado Members of County Assembly to encourage communities to register for the Social Health Authority (SHA).
While addressing the assembly during the opening of the fourth session, governor Lenku said that SHA is working and the transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to SHA is one of the most notable milestones in the country’s healthcare systems.
“I urge all members of the County assembly to be strong advocates of the initiative. SHA is working as evidenced by improved monthly reimbursements and timely reauthorization of our facilities. Do not engage in the politics that are being advanced by forces that are hell bent to frustrate government programs for their personal agenda while the lives of our people are at stake,” said Governor Lenku
He noted that enrollment for SHA in Kajiado currently stands at 25 per cent which should not be the case as the county has always been leading in health insurance enrollment.
The governor emphasized that the county must scale up enrollment through community sensitization, outreach programs, household visits, church forums and public barazas.
He revealed that his administration is deliberately shifting focus from large hospitals to strengthening more local facilities adding that they have increased level four hospitals from 1 to 8 in the last five years.
“We are now prioritizing dispensaries and health centers in the rural areas by equipping them with essential medical supplies, proper staff and enhanced pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical resources. Our goal is to ensure that each rural facility has at least two nurses, a clinical officer, a lab technologist and a traditional birth attendant for maternity support so that no patient is turned away due to inadequate personnel. This will prevent long costly journeys to major hospitals,” said the Governor.
He remarked that his administration will continue to recruit and deploy medical personnel in line with the county’s primary healthcare agenda.
Additionally, the governor acknowledged the challenges that have come with the recent withdrawal of USAID funding, particularly, its impact on critical programs such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria and tuberculosis.
“This development causes a direct financial strain on essential health services and I am calling upon the national government and other partners to collaborate in finding sustainable solutions to prevent disruption to these lifesaving programs,” urged Governor Lenku.
By Diana Meneto
