The government was put on the spot Wednesday over its decision to increase and gazette new contribution rates to the National Health Insurance Fund and including out patient cover without parliament’s approval.
Gichugu Member of Parliament Martha Karua questioned why the government had bypassed parliament in its decision to review the charges that will now see the least contributor earning less than 6000 shillings contribute 150 shillings up from 20 shilllings while those earning 100,000 shillings and above part with 2000 shillings per month.
Minister for medical services Professor Anyang Nyongo in a ministerial statement defended the move saying the NHIF Act as passed by parliament mandates the NHIF board to review the charges as well as introduce out-patient cover as part of the government’s plan to improve access to quality health care as envisaged in vision 2030 and the millennium development goals.
Nyongo pointed out that currently the annual total health care expenditure was 150 billion shillings out of which 60 billion shillings is received from out patient care.
He told parliament that with the increased figures NHIF which currently contributes a mere 4% of the total expenditure will be in a position to inject an additional 11 billion shillings to out patient health care that will assist the government battle infectious diseases and malaria that contribute 75% of all outpatient treatment cases.
Nyongo says the outpatient treatment would include among others dialysis for diabetic patients who have to part with 15,000 shillings for each session in private hospitals but who will receive the same treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital for 5 000 shillings.
At the same time the scheme will subsidize the charges for transplants including kidney transplants that cost an average of 2 million shillings in India but if done locally could cost 800,000 shillings.
The minister said the decision to increase the contributions was arrived at after consultations with stakeholders over the past 4 years with pilot programs launched in Nairobi and Mumias successfully proving that outpatient cover was relieving the burden of disease among the population.
Kisumu Town East legislator Shakeel Shabir however sought to know the measures in place to ensure the additional contributions will be used for the intended purpose citing past cases of mismanagement of funds.
Nyongo moved to dispel such fears saying currently a team of management auditors was on the ground to ensure the funds were put to the intended use.
Legislators decried the flat rate of 2,000 shillings set for those earning 100,000 and above saying those earning millions of shillings should contribute amounts commensurate with their earnings.
Nyongo however pointed out that statistics reveal that those earning 100,000 shillings and above are only around 46,000 Kenyans who often opt for private hospitals as opposed to public hospitals.
The statement comes even as the parliamentary committee on heath is expected to grill the NHIF boss on the same issue next Tuesday following a public outcry from workers unions which have protested the increment saying it was not consultative and would cause a dent in the workers income.

CAROL MUTHONDU