By Benedict Ng’etich
The management of Siloam Hospital in Kericho County has launched a NHIF scheme for students that will relief many parents of the heavy burden of health care for their children.
Speaking while opening an outpatient wing to handle medical cases of students in the NHIF scheme, the Chairman of the hospital Franklin Bett said it was a welcome move as it will reduce cases of absenteeism due to medical challenges.
He said the new facility was aimed at making healthcare affordable and accessible to students.
“In an effort to fulfill one of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four agenda, Siloam Hospital has been accredited to provide heaithcare services to students as NHIF expands its product base,” he added.
He said the launch of the Sh4.05 billion NHIF comprehensive medical cover will cover all students in secondary school and was a milestone which needed the support of all Kenyans.
“Through the NHIF cover the Government will pay a premium of Sh1, 350 per student for a 3 million population in public secondary schools,” he added.
Bett said the Siloam Hospital was poised to spread its services to benefit learners in both urban and rural set-ups in the expansive county, adding they were in close partnership with the County Government which he said “were working as partners and not competitors.”
Siloam Hospital has grown from a 72-bed facility to its current capacity of 110 with outpatients increasing from 12,000 in 2011 to 34,000 in 2017. Inpatient admission also increased from 236 in the same period to the current 7,300.
The department was opened courtesy of the Directorate Sustainable Economic Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands Hans Docter and The PharmAccess Foundation.
