Universal Health Coverage gets the bulk of healthcare budget
The government has allocated Kes146.8 billion, one of its biggest allocations ever made, to the provision of healthcare services in the 2022/2023 budget.
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani said Kes62.3 billion will go to Universal Health Coverage (UHC), adding that the allocation will go a long way in improving the healthcare services in the country.
In the 2021/22 financial year, the health sector received Kes121.1 billion.
“Better health care outcomes depend on the availability, accessibility, and capacity of health care workers to deliver quality services anchored on well equipped, and provision health care facilities,” he said.
Universal Health Care being one of the Big Four Agenda of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, CS Yatani noted that the government is committed “towards achieving the goal of achieving 100 percent health insurance coverage.”
“Key among these initiatives include the free maternity program dubbed Linda Mama, which currently benefits over one million mothers annually increasing the total number of health workers in the public and private sector investment in the health infrastructure and development of a digital health platform support effective monitoring of the health sector,” he said.
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Of the Kes146. 8 billion for health, Kes7 billion has been allocated to purchase COVID-19 vaccines and related expenditure while Kes4.1 billion was allocated for free maternity health care.
A total of Kes5.2 billion will go towards the maintenance of equipment while Kes1.8 billion will cater for the medical cover for the elderly and severely disabled persons in the society.
The rest of Kes16.2 billion has been allocated to the war on malaria, HIV/Aids, and tuberculosis, with Kes5.2 billion set aside to enhance vaccines and various immunization programs.
Further, hospitals across the country have also received a share of the money with the Kenyatta National Hospital being the biggest beneficiary, bagging Kes18.1 billion.
Eldoret-based Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital will get Kes11.7 billion followed by the Kenya Medical Training Center with Kes7.7 billion allocation.
Similarly, Kenya Medical Research (KEMRI) has been allocated Kes2.9 billion.
The 2022/23 budget, which is President Uhuru Kenyatta’s last spending plan before he leaves office, is estimated to cost Kes3.31 trillion down by Kes350 billion compared to the 2021/22 financial year whose estimates cost Kes3.66 trillion.
