President William Ruto has announced plans to enrol all Kenyan prisoners in the Social Health Authority (SHA) Coverage so that the prisoners can receive better health cover, just like all the other Kenyans.
President Ruto made these announcements during the 46th Passing Out Parade Ceremony of the Prisons Staff Training College in Ruiru that saw the graduation of over 3,862 recruits on February 26, who will join the ranks of the Kenya Prisons Service after completing 9 months of rigorous paramilitary and professional training.
He added that the process had already started, with registration across all Kenyan prisons at 56 per cent, stating that prisoners, too, deserve better health cover just like any other Kenyan.
” It is my instruction that all prisoners be registered under SHA, so that whenever they get sick, they can receive proper health treatment just like any other Kenyan,” stated President Ruto.
According to President Ruto, the exercise shall be conducted countrywide in all prisons and probation centres.
Kenya Prisons data reveals that there are approximately 60,000 inmates, with a total of 140 penal institutions, which include 137, with 134 facilities mainly for adult offenders, 3 facilities for specialised treatment of youthful offenders that comprise 2 Borstal Institutions and 1 Youthful Correctional Training Centre.
The president said that the government will settle prisoners’ insurance premiums through the State Department for Correctional Services, reaffirming the State’s responsibility for their welfare.
For inmates to be enlisted for SHA benefits, a proper National Identification Card (ID) is needed, with the government currently performing National Identification registration for prisoners without IDs in order to expedite the SHA cover process.
Through the SHA cover, inmates can access primary healthcare services at Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals. For more serious conditions, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund will cover advanced medical needs.
President Ruto reiterated that the move is to advance the agenda of his Kenya Kwanza administration, which aims for Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which stresses on transforming the country’s healthcare into a constitutional right, with approximately 30 million Kenyans already registered under SHA.