New maternity package promises free delivery services for low‑income mothers
CS Duale said the amendments seek to revise the Schedule to the principal Tariffs for Healthcare Services, 2025, to provide clearer provisions across.
Mothers at a clinic. (Photo: Nutrition International)
Kenya is set for major changes in public healthcare funding after the Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation began reviewing tariff amendments that would introduce free maternity services for low‑income mothers and expand state support for cancer treatment.
Health CS Aden Duale presented the reforms to the Committee on Thursday through the Tariffs for Healthcare Services (Amendment) 2026, gazetted as Legal Notice No. 78 of 2026.
Speaking before the Committee chaired by Tharaka Nithi Senator Mwenda Gataya, Duale said the amendments seek to revise the Schedule to the principal Tariffs for Healthcare Services, 2025, to provide clearer provisions across various healthcare funding structures.
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A key proposal is the introduction of a new package on Maternity, Neonatal and Child Health Services under the Primary Healthcare Fund. The package will allow registered beneficiaries who are unable to pay their Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) premiums to access free delivery services at Level 2 and Level 3 healthcare facilities.
According to the CS, the package will cover prenatal care, delivery, midwifery services, surgical procedures, newborn immunisation, meals and specialised diets. Normal deliveries will be financed up to Sh10,000 while Caesarean sections will be covered up to Sh30,000 through budgetary allocations.
“This means that all registered beneficiaries who cannot afford to pay their SHIF premiums for any reason whatsoever will now access completely free delivery services,” Duale told the committee.
The amendments also propose a significant increase in funding for chronic cancer management under the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIF). Funding will rise from Sh150,000 to Sh400,000 per person annually.
Duale said that when combined with the baseline SHIF allocation, the revised package would increase the maximum coverage available to eligible cancer patients to Sh800,000.
He noted that the reforms stem from a directive issued by President William Ruto during his State of the Nation Address on November 20, 2025, calling for enhanced cancer benefits and measures to protect patients from financial hardship.
During the session, senators urged the Ministry to ensure equitable access to medication across the country. The legislators also called for expanded mental health coverage and greater support for persons living with disabilities under the healthcare reforms.