Governors have faulted Health cabinet secretary Susan Nakhumicha for seclusion in the data collection drive that will guide in supporting health amendments bills that seeks to transform NHIF to the National Social Health Insurance Fund under the Universal health coverage plan
The governors accuse the CS of sidelining them in the drafting of Primary Health Care Bill, 2023; The Digital Health Bill, 2023; The Facility Improvement Financing Bill, 2023; and The Social Health Insurance Bill, 2023 arguing that health still remains a devolved function of the county governments.
“Our input as the Council of Governors should be incorporated in these Bills before they go out in the public. Your legal teams and our legal team which have not sat anywhere should have sat and agreed on these issues before they go out to stakeholders, unless we are being treated as stakeholders,” CoG Health Committee Chairperson Muthomi Njuki said.
“The two levels of governments need to respect and avoid intergovernmental disputes which have occurred before.”
Speaking as she met the council of governors CS Nakhumicha has assured the county bosses that her ministry will report to the caucus once the collection of the data is finalised for harmony arguing that the bill was drafted on the existential data from the ministry.
Nakhumicha has implored governors to join hands in realising the health plan under the bottom up economic transformation agenda saying that her ministry will lay easy ground work for implementation by the health workforce
“These Bills have not been developed from nowhere, they have been developed from existing documentation which have been worked on together with CoG. Believe me, your voices are already in these Bills but I agree we should have more time for consultation,” said the CS.
The four bills were approved last week during a cabinet meeting on the back of another proposal by the government to raise NHIF contribution by 2.75 percent.