A diabetes check up. [Photo/the-star.co.ke]
Diabetic patients will soon start cost-sharing to access medication.
This follows phasing out of a programme that has been facilitating free treatment.
According to head Non-Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health, Kibachio Mwangi, the government will only provide free insulin to children and subsidised insulin for adults starting 2018.
Mwangi said patients will be expected to bear the cost of needles as well as periodical testing kits (HD-16).
The programme was funded by Novo Nordisk, the ministry and the Kenya Diabetes Management and Information Centre (DMI).
“The partners have been influential in the reduction of the cost of insulin to about Sh200 in public health facilities. The drug has been free to children. We hope to get new partners to partner with us to fund the programme again,” he said during the World Diabetes Day celebrations in Embu town yesterday.
Mwangi urged county Health departments to budget for the cause.