The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union is at a standoff with several changes introduced into “NHIF.” It is now evident why KMPDU criticized the New Health Insurance Act 2023.
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Speaking to the press, medical workers described the proposed reforms as “mid-day robbery.”
Why KMPDU criticized the New Health Insurance Act 2023
KMPDU is afraid that the new proposals will undermine the already struggling health care system.
Tension is now mounting even as NHIF is paving the way for the Social Security Insurance Authority.
Some of the changes include a mandatory tax deduction of 2.75%, on salaried Kenyans.
KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah decried lack of member involvement in the formulation and implementation process.
He maintains that the controversial Act was passed without proper scrutiny.
Dr Davji Atellah also argued that the Act was passed without addressing various issues that haunted NHIF.
A legion of other doctors claim that the Act is an intentional misallocation of resources by the government.
Some have called it a new plot to exploit Kenyan citizens.
“In Kenya, 80 percent of our people work in the informal sector and this law is going to discriminate against them by making them contribute upfront the entire annual amount unlike their formally employed counterparts who will contribute monthly.
The act then claims to cure this injustice by the government promising to give them ‘premium financial products’(loans) to help them pay, at whose benefit?
We urge all Kenyans to say No and join us in passing a clear message that we are not happy with these developments disguised in the flowery language of universal health coverage provision.”
Dr. Atellah.
According to Dr. Atellah, the Social Health Authority Board which is expected to develop the regulations, has not been involved so far.
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She also had this to say.
“We demand that the fund be disbursed to the counties by the Commission of Revenue Allocation and not managed by Social Health Authority as this will undermine devolution and affect the service delivery by perennial delays as we have seen with the funds meant for the education sector. We call upon the Governors to join us in this push for funds to follow function.
We want to promise the architects of this daylight robbery that we shall not accept any attempts to take back the gains that we have made as a country around health financing.”
Dr. Atellah.
Majority of Kenyans are, on the other hand, opposed to the abolishment of NHIF.
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Disagreements between KMPDU and the government of Kenya are expected to frustrate implementation of the New Health Insurance Act 2023.
