Health insurance cards for young children unveiled

DEUS NGOWI in Moshi

THE National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) in Kilimanjaro Region has unveiled a new product targeting children under the age of 18 years.

NHIF Kilimanjaro Regional Manager, Mr Fidelis Shauritanga, said here over the weekend that under the product dubbed ‘Toto Afya Kadi’ would enable beneficiaries to get medical services all over the country.

Mr Shauritanga said parents and guardians should register their children, paying 50,000/- per child annually and the child will get medical services in over 6,000 centres registered by NHIF.

He said the new product was initiated as a means to enable parents and guardians to enrol children who missed chance to be registered due to the limited number of dependants.

“For example, if a member has six children but were supposed to register four dependants, then they could grasp this chance and ensure they get medical services,” said Mr Shauritanga.

Expounding on the reasons to introduce the new product, Mr Shauritanga said it gives opportunity to children who are not biologically related to NHIF members to get registered and get medical services.

“These children could be enrolled by either parents or guardians. They could be of whatever relation in the extended family. It covers also children whose parents are unable to pay the costs, hence any benefactor can support them to join the Fund,” he said.

Targeted groups include those in nursery, primary and secondary schools; those from children centres – such as orphans and vulnerable ones and others who are not in school.

Mr Shauritanga said after getting enrolled the children can get medical services, such as consultation with the doctors; medical examination; drugs, admission, surgery, physical exercises; assistive devices as well as eyes and mouth treatment.

Commenting on the new product, Moshi District Commissioner (DC), Mr Novatus Makunga, urged citizens to come out in huge numbers to enrol the children. He said nowadays medical treatment is costly and the only way to reduce the burden is insurance system, that has been devised by health and insurance experts.

Mr Makunga asked Good ‘Samaritans’ to support the street children, orphans and the underprivileged so that their children could get the important services.

Kilimanjaro is one of the regions that perform well under the newly initiated improved Community Health Fund (iCHF) that is being implemented by district councils, but under guardianship of NHIF