The Kenyan government has set an ambitious goal to enroll more than 15 million learners in the Taifa Care health insurance scheme by the end of April. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring that all schoolchildren across the country are covered under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) initiative.
In order to achieve this, the government plans to deploy community health promoters to schools nationwide, facilitating the registration process. This initiative aims to provide comprehensive medical coverage for learners in early childhood education, primary, secondary, and comprehensive schools, both in public and private institutions.
To ensure that the registration process goes smoothly, Ogamba has urged parents to ensure their children have the necessary documentation. One of the key requirements for registration is a birth certificate, which is essential for identification purposes. For children who do not yet have birth certificates, the government has made provisions to assist in the issuance of these important documents during the registration process. The aim is to ensure that every child can be enrolled, even those who may not yet have this vital form of identification.
This initiative is a significant step in the government’s broader effort to expand access to healthcare for all citizens. The Taifa Care scheme is a notable upgrade from the previous EduAfya programme, which only covered secondary school students in public schools. Under the new initiative, learners at all levels of education will now benefit from comprehensive health coverage, marking a significant expansion in the scope of healthcare for students.
The initiative comes at an opportune time, according to Ogamba, as the timing of the registration process aligns with the school calendar. The government is taking advantage of the relatively fewer restrictions during Term 1 of the school year, as opposed to Term 3, which is dominated by national examinations. The aim is to complete the registration before the term ends in April, providing enough time to ensure all learners are enrolled in the scheme.
So far, over 17 million Kenyans have already been registered under the UHC initiative as of mid-January, and the government is optimistic that the target of enrolling 15 million learners will be met. With community health promoters deployed to schools across the country, the government is taking proactive steps to ensure that every learner benefits from the scheme.
Parents have already started receiving messages encouraging them to register their children for Taifa Care, highlighting the importance of enrolling children as dependants in the health insurance scheme. The CS has strongly encouraged all parents to ensure that their children are registered, noting that this will pave the way for easier enrollment for learners and ultimately contribute to a healthier future for Kenya’s youth.
The Taifa Care scheme is designed to provide preventive and promotive health services, aimed at keeping learners healthy, improving academic performance, and reducing absenteeism due to illness. By ensuring that learners have access to healthcare, the government hopes to foster an environment where students can thrive academically without the added burden of health-related challenges.
With around 15 million learners currently enrolled in primary and secondary schools, this registration drive represents a vital step towards achieving the government’s goal of Universal Health Coverage. The success of this program is seen as a key element in Kenya’s efforts to provide accessible healthcare to all citizens and create a healthier, more productive future for the country.
