Patients call for review of NHIF’s kidney plan

Kidney patients want the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) Renal Package to be reviewed urgently to cover post-transplant treatment costs which they say are expensive.

This comes as new projections point to an increase in chronic kidney disease risk factors comprising of diabetes and hypertension in the country, and delayed diagnosis of the disease. Besides seeking assessments to the NHIF Renal Package, the patients want an improved management and control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to prevent complications arising from disruptions occasioned by emergencies, pandemics and social unrest being some of them.

John Gikonyo, the President Renal Patients Society of Kenya expressed anxiety that by not covering post-transplant medicines will send away many patients seeking kidney transplants, majority preferring to remain on dialysis where they are fully covered. However, this form of kidney disease management according to Gikonyo is expensive.

“This NHIF Renal package has been in place since 2016 and time has come for an honest evaluation and review so that it is aligned with current trends and realities,” he said at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), the venue where this year’s World Kidney Day celebrations were marked in Nairobi.

Gikonyo suggested one way of reducing the rising number of dialysis patients, besides prevention by proper management of NCDs, is to empower patients to get kidney transplants by supporting them before and after transplant.

“It is cheaper to maintain a patient on transplant than on dialysis, and it is puzzling how NHIF continues to ignore this low hanging fruit,” he stated as it emerged that limited access to treatment and poor control of NCDs have been blamed for increased cases of chronic kidney diseases in the country.