NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 26 – The government is set to inject Sh600 million to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to cater for health costs for vulnerable people across the country.
Speaking during the Inclusive and Just Social Protection in Africa Conference 2021, Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection Simon Chelugui said the government seeks to ensure all Kenyans, including those living in informal settlements have access to good healthcare and live dignified lives.
“We established that other than livelihood costs, the vulnerable members of our society also require medical cover. Most of the aged have underlying conditions and some of these funds that we transfer to them, end up being used on medical costs,” Chelugui said.
With the rising rate of unemployment in the African continent, Chelugui called on all nations to work together and come up with strategies that will strengthen social protection services in order to improve the livelihoods of the vulnerable, poor and needy citizens across the continent
“My expectation is that during the two days conference, we will foster our collaboration, learn from one another, and reflect holistically on the entire architecture of social protection in Africa. This way, I believe we can jointly articulate a “hybrid” social protection framework that is appropriate for Africa,” he said
“I note with confidence, the conference approach to reflect and learn from the resilience of the traditional social protection systems present in all societies in the African. Our realities demonstrate that, the most available and reliable system is one that is embedded in our African value systems for cushioning humanity, reciprocity, and solidarity among our people.”
The CS further outlined three targets that all African nations ought to achieve by 2023 including to ensuring at least 30 per cent of vulnerable populations, persons with disabilities, older persons, and children are provided with social protection.
He also underscored the need for all persons working in the formal sector are provided with social security and at least 20 per cent of the informal sector and rural labour has access to social security
Chairperson of Board of Directors for Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) Narcis Matos, said social protection is of paramount importance and especially now that the continent is grappling with the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.
“We all agree that social protection is of paramount importance now. The most important message will be how we generate evidence based proposals, recommendations and ideas which will go then to inform policies,” he said.
The two-day conference organized by the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research in collaboration with the Africa Platform for Social Protection and the Open Society Foundation was attended by more than 1,000 people physically at the Tamarind Hotel, Nairobi.
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