Nairobians to enjoy affordable health services thanks to City Hall and NHIF
Nairobi County government is set to unveil a new medical scheme aimed at cushioning poor and vulnerable city residents against costly health services in county hospitals.
This comes after City Hall announced that it will partner with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to cover poor households to ensure they get quality and free medical services in four county hospitals.
The four hospitals are Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, Mbagathi Hospital and Mutuini Hospital.
“We will partner with NHIF to ensure quality and affordable healthcare services are offered in our county hospitals. This is also in line with and in support of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four agenda, especially on health, as it will offer accessible healthcare to the public,” Governor Mike Sonko said on Saturday.
MATERNAL MORTALITY
He said that to fully realize his administration’s plans, plans are afoot to transform Pumwani Maternity Hospital by modernizing the facility to ensure improved maternal care to mothers.
In addition, Mr Sonko has assured city dwellers that he will fully implement a task force report that was formed to probe the management of Pumwani Hospital following the recent discovery of 12 bodies of infants at the hospital.
“The sad cases high maternal mortality deaths must come to an end. We have developed a modernized plan for Pumwani Maternity Hospital and after the project is completed Nairobi residents will enjoy quality healthcare at the facility and I also want my family members to seek for medical services in our county hospitals,” he said.
SORRY STATE
The City Hall boss, however, allayed fears that the hospital, one of the biggest maternity facility in East and Central Africa, will be privatized after he recently announced a partnership deal with Aga Khan and Nairobi West Hospitals.
County hospitals have been plagued with various problems with the Pumwani case bringing to the fore the plight of Nairobi residents in accessing health services in the city.
On Wednesday, a report by Nairobi County Assembly Health Services committee painted a sorry state of Mama Lucy Hospital where it revealed that the facility lacks a new born emergency unit, a general ward for women and up to three expectant mothers share a bed at the Maternity unit.