Â鶹Éç

Available for over a year

Kenyan single mother of two, Herima Mwakima, needs an urgent operation to remove chronic fibroids. She has raised about three-quarters of the money required for the surgery by appealing for contributions from friends. Like many Kenyans, she says she is financially unable to pay into the national health insurance scheme. Kenya's National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) was set up to provide affordable, sustainable and quality health insurance for all citizens. But only about 20 per cent of the population are covered by NHIF, while around 1 per cent are privately insured. The rest must pay for treatment in full when they need it. Healthcare has become a major campaign issue ahead of the August elections, with many politicians promising to improve access and move towards universal health coverage. Herima left her job as a nanny in Dubai to help her brother who needed kidney dialysis - she used her savings to pay for his treatment. Now, as she told Focus on Africa's Karnie Sharp, she finds herself in a situation where she is unable to afford her own. Photo: Herima Mwakima. Credit: Â鶹Éç.