Abdulswamad Kickstarts NHIF Drive in Mombasa
Mombasa Governor-elect Abdulswamad Nassir addresses the press at Star of the Sea Girls Secondary school on September 1, 2022, during a surprise visit to the institution. Mr Nassir said that once sworn in office, he will be able to deal with pending bills, especially the workers' salaries. PHOTO BY WACHIRA MWANGI
Mombasa county government is on a campaign to ensure all county electorate are issued with the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) cards for Universal health coverage (UHC).
Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir defended his move saying it was in line with his campaign manifesto even before he was elected to succeed pioneer governor Hassan Ali Joho.
He pointed out illness is an acid test from the Almighty God and does not discriminate on religious or ethnic or racial lines.
“To make matters worse illness lacks boundaries of whether you are rich or poor,” he pointed out.
Abdulswamad said his aim is to ensure every county electorate has access to free medical care through the government initiative.
He was speaking during the official launch of MombasaCare program and the rolling out of a medical camp at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital in Mvita Sub-County in Mombasa county.
READ ALSO: Murang’a County Signs MOU with NHIF To Assist the Needy
The governor, who presided over the launch of the program, said at the installing stage they expected 15,000 families to be registered in the rollout program.
Abdulswamad who was accompanied by Mombasa county Speaker Aharub Khatri said he expected by end of this year the number to have increased by 5,000 to bring the total number to 20,000 families.
He added that the number of families registered into the UHC is expected to double from next year.
“My main target is to ensure we move from dream to reality on the Universal Health Coverage to county electorates,” he added.
The governor said he used all resources at his disposal to create awareness on the launch of program with good intention.
Abdulswamad assured county electorate that nobody will be denied access to medical services due to lack of money.
He assured patients drawn from the county with underlying illnesses that they will access medical care without parting with even a single cent.
“Any referral made to the main health facility from ward level will be catered for free of charge through the program,” he pointed out.
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