Kenya Kwanza government now promises boda boda only hospital

The Kenyan Health Ministry is working to upgrade hospitals specifically for boda-boda riders. The ministry is also providing free one-year NHIF memberships to all boda-boda riders and their families.

Speaking at the launch of the BodaBoda Care program, Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha said that the ministry is committed to improving the health and safety of boda-boda riders.

“We are working together to promote health and prevent diseases,” Nakhumicha said. “We have trained a good number of boda-boda riders in first aid, and we are determined to serve them well.”

The ministry is also working to ensure that referral hospitals have the necessary medical personnel to handle accidents and mental health problems that are common among boda-boda riders.

“We are giving a group of boda boda riders a cover for a whole year through NHIF,” Nakhumicha said. “Ensure your family members are listed, including your wife and children. It is not a personal property.”

The CS said that the free NHIF memberships will encourage boda-boda riders to drive safely, knowing that they have access to quality healthcare.

The Ministry of Health is also working to reform the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) into a new National Social Health Insurance Fund (NSHIF). The new NSHIF will be more effective and transparent, and it will pay the same amount for claims for services provided across all healthcare facilities, regardless of whether they are public, private, or faith-based.

“As we reform NHIF we want to have a new vehicle; a social health insurance that takes care of the needs of Kenyans,” Nakhumicha said. “That should a patient choose to walk to Coptic hospital, Coptic will have its bill paid by a new social health insurance scheme.”

The reforms to the NHIF are expected to be completed in the coming months.