The Tharaka Nithi County government announced that residents would now access free healthcare services at all primary care networks, including dispensaries and healthcare centres, provided they were registered under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
The directive was issued by County Governor Muthomi Njuki, who also chairs the Council of Governors' Health Committee.
Njuki reiterated that all residents had the right to access universal healthcare at county facilities without incurring any costs, as long as they were part of the Social Health Authority, which replaced the now-defunct NHIF.
The governor observed that Tharaka Nithi had 123,486 residents out of 463,000 who had registered for SHA, a figure which represented 27 per cent of the country's population. "I have issued three directives: anyone who has registered for SHA, even without paying, you will get free medical services in dispensaries and level 2 health centres as long as you are not admitted," the governor said.
