Government Faces Financial Challenges in Supporting Community Health Promoters

Government Faces Financial Challenges in Supporting Community Health Promoters

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki during his tour of Kenyatta National Hospital to assess the implementation of Taifa Care, engaging with patients and health workers.

By MAXIMILLA WAFULA 

The County Diary News 

Nairobi , 8th January 2025, government has acknowledged financial challenges in facilitating community health promoters (CHPs), a critical component of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) rollout, to provide primary healthcare services.

Speaking at the Kenyatta National Hospital after evaluating the implementation of Taifa Care, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki highlighted the insufficiency of allocated funds to support CHPs.

According to Kindiki, the current budget includes KSh 2.5 billion for CHPs and an additional KSh 3.7 billion for other primary healthcare services, amounting to KSh 6.2 billion. However, this figure falls short of the actual needs for the effective implementation of the program.

“If you consider the Sh2.5 billion for CHPs alongside the budget for other primary healthcare services, it totals Sh6.2 billion, which may not be adequate,” Kindiki stated.

The Deputy President attributed the shortfall to the collapse of the Finance Bill 2024, which was intended to raise supplementary revenue of KSh 340 billion. “Earlier this year, the revenue-raising measures proposed in the Finance Bill did not materialize, impacting funding across various sectors,” he explained.

Despite the setback, Kindiki assured that the government is exploring ways to bridge the deficit, including adjustments to the supplementary budget. “We will go out of our way to continually adjust the budget to ensure primary healthcare is not left behind,” he added.

Currently, CHPs are conducting a nationwide registration of Kenyans under the newly established Social Health Authority (SHA). To date, 17 million Kenyans have been enrolled in the UHC program, branded Taifa Care.

The Deputy President emphasized that the government is working to resolve any remaining challenges to ensure hospitals provide efficient and timely services.

During his visit to Kenyatta National Hospital, Kindiki engaged with patients and healthcare workers, gaining insight into areas requiring further improvement to enhance service delivery.