Friday, November 1, 2024 – President William Ruto’s government has told Kenyans who
are not satisfied with the new Social Health
Insurance Fund (SHIF) to pay for private medical insurance.
Speaking on Thursday, Medical Services Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai emphasized that all Kenyans would receive equal SHIF benefits, regardless of their contribution. Kimtai added that those who contribute more but feel the benefits are insufficient should consider purchasing private insurance.
“We came to the conclusion of
2.75% of their gross income. There’s no cap.
“That’s why it’s called SHIF, where
everyone contributes to it, and the benefits packages are also equal.
” You
should not say if you’re paying more, you’re getting more benefits, it is
standard. If you like extra benefits, you can pay for private cover,”
Kimtai said.
Kimtai further denied claims that
the new scheme was rushed, arguing that the system was developed for quite a
while.
He reiterated that the state
carried out numerous tests on the new system.
“We had also done what we
call lab tests, and we agreed because it was announced by the CS that October 1
would be the launch and the rollout of SHA,” he said.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
