President William Ruto has announced that all Kenyans requiring emergency medical care will be covered under the Social Health Authority (SHA) emergency programme, regardless of whether they are registered with the national health insurance scheme.
Ruto said the move is aimed at ensuring that no Kenyan is denied life-saving emergency care because they lack medical insurance or cannot afford treatment.
Speaking on Thursday during the launch of the SHA 922 Emergency Medical Service and National Ambulance Dispatch Centre in Nairobi County, the President said the emergency programme marks a major shift in the country's healthcare system by guaranteeing emergency treatment as a constitutional right rather than a service determined by one's financial status.
"This protection applies whether the patient is registered with SHA or not," Ruto said.
He said ambulance evacuation and the first 24 hours of emergency treatment will be financed through the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund at approved tariffs.
According to the President, patients requiring urgent medical attention will no longer be expected to produce proof of insurance or make payments before receiving treatment.
"There will be no negotiations, no guarantees and no relatives running around looking for money. In an emergency, the first question must never be whether a patient can pay. The first duty is to save life," he said.
Ruto said the reforms effectively introduce a universal emergency medical safety net for all Kenyans, regardless of their registration status under SHA.
He said the launch of the national emergency system gives practical effect to Article 43 of the Constitution, which guarantees every Kenyan the right to the highest attainable standard of health.
"For too long, the fate of a Kenyan facing an emergency has depended on where they lived, the money in their pocket or who they happened to know. Today we change that permanently," the President said.
As part of the reforms, Kenya has also adopted a single national emergency medical number, 922, which will be available free of charge across all mobile networks, even without airtime.
Ruto said every emergency call will be handled by trained dispatch officers who will identify and deploy the nearest available ambulance before directing patients to the health facility best equipped to handle their condition.
"The objective is not simply to take the patient to the closest hospital but to the facility best suited to save their life," he said.
He directed all health facilities contracted under SHA not to deny, delay, refer or transfer patients requiring emergency treatment because they cannot pay or because their insurance details cannot immediately be verified.
"No person requiring emergency medical treatment shall be denied, delayed, referred or transferred because they cannot pay or because their cover cannot immediately be found," he said.
The President noted that the emergency system is built on the broader health reforms rolled out since 2023.
He said 32.2 million Kenyans have so far registered under SHA, while more than eight million have already received healthcare services through the scheme.
Ruto added that the government has paid Sh178.5 billion to hospitals and other health facilities under the new health financing system, describing the payments as a significant improvement over the former National Hospital Insurance Fund.
He said the Primary Healthcare Fund has so far disbursed Sh23.3 billion to contracted health facilities, while more than 15,000 cancer patients and nearly 21,000 dialysis patients have benefited from government-funded specialised care.
The President also attributed the progress in healthcare financing to the use of digital technology, saying accurate data had enabled the government to improve accountability and eliminate inefficiencies.
"Today we know who we are paying and what we are paying for. That is the essence of accountability," he said.
Ruto further called on county governments, faith-based organisations and private ambulance operators to partner with the government in expanding emergency response services across the country.
He said more than 1,243 ambulance and emergency service providers have already been contracted under SHA but directed the Ministry of Health, SHA and the Council of Governors to ensure every eligible public, county, faith-based and private ambulance provider is onboarded into the national dispatch system by December 30 this year.
The President said the ultimate goal is to ensure every Kenyan, regardless of where they live, can access timely emergency medical assistance whenever the need arises.
