Did you know that about seven out of every ten Kenyans do not have health insurance?
Although the main health insurance provider NHIF appears to be charging within as low as Sh200 per month, slightly more than half of the population cannot afford the services because of poverty. The remaining half of the population feels that they are not subscribed to the services because they don't know about them existing while another fraction which is aware suffers constrained access due to the unavailability these health services in localities where the people stay.
However, a low rate of 7% still felt they did not get the services because they didn’t need them at all.
These were the findings of a recent study dubbed Sauti za Wananchi by Twaweza East Africa.
According to a press release by Advocacy Manager for Kenya Twaweza East Africa Brezhnev Otieno, half of the population did not have knowledge of how an ambulance could be contacted in case of emergencies.
The research also shows very alarming figures on the rates of specific non‐communicable diseases (NCDs), with four in every ten saying a family member had been screened for high blood pressure (HBP). Another 29% said a member had been screened for diabetes with a low 25% for cancer. A positive development was noted, however, with the figures having drastically gone down in the last one year. HBP cases dropped to 30% while diabetes and cancer came at 20% and 12% respectively.
Doctors and nurses provide half of the health service information while the other half is provided by radio (20%), friends and family (14%), TV (7%), internet (3%), religious organs (2%), pharmacists and newspapers (1%).
The study recommended that authorities collaborative to fund health insurance especially to vulnerable households through NHIF.
Twaweza works on ensuring learning to children, guiding citizens to exercise agency and promoting government openness and responsiveness in East Africa.