Africa-Press – Kenya. The Health Amendment Act of 2021 tabled in parliament proposes far-reaching reforms that will see the government assume control of the cost of medical services in the country.
The amendment of the Health Act proposes that the government controls doctors’ fees and medical bills in an effort to curb the surge in hospital expenses.
Hospital charges will be determined and regulated by Kenya Health Human Resource Advisory Council (KHHAC), a body that will be established in accordance with the act.
KHHAC, will have 11 members comprising the Attorney General, Principal Secretary for Health, and some members of the Council of Governors.
“The Kenya Health Human Resource Advisory Council (KHHAC) shall review policy and establish uniform norms and standards for levying of charges on the practice of conventional medicine in consultation with the relevant statutory bodies and stakeholders,” reads the bill.
The government wants to protect citizens that are facing tough economic times due to the Covid-19 pandemic against high medicare costs, especially in private hospitals.
Some medical practitioners have attributed the high inflation cost to the rise in the cost of medicine, doctors’ fees, and medical equipment, which is then passed on to Kenyans.
This not only locks out poor Kenyans from access to quality healthcare but also increases the burden on the few that can afford it.
Insurance companies are then forced to increase the cost of covers, explaining that some of the procedures such as medical tests are overpriced by hospitals.
On average, Kenyans pay between Ksh1,000 and Ksh2,500 for consultation with a general physician. The cost is higher – Ksh2,000 and Ksh6,000 – when consulting specialist doctors such as gynaecologists, radiologists, dermatologists, and neurologists.
Private hospitals have challenged the bill asking the government to also regulate the prices at which they purchase medicine and equipment from suppliers.
The government is currently running a sensitization programme, asking Kenyans to register for National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). NHIF helps reduce medical costs, especially on inpatient services as it pays Ksh4000 for the hospital bed.
Hospital charges will join fuel the list of other essential services the government is pushing to make affordable.
