Launch of the Tanykina Community Healthcare Plan in Kenya

Salien – April 1, 2011 – At the new Tanykina Dairy Plant Building, over a thousand community members and senior officials of AAR, PharmAccess and the Tanykina Dairy Plant Ltd witnessed the launch of the Tanykina Community Healthcare Plan. The Tanykina Community Healthcare Plan (TCHP) is a joint initiative between Tanykina Dairy Plant Ltd., AAR and PharmAccess Foundation, supported by the Health Insurance Fund and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The aim is to provide affordable primary and (limited) secondary healthcare to Tanykina members and their households.

To mark this special occasion, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kenya, Laetitia van den Assum reveiled a plaque and Sjoerd van Keulen, Board Member of the Health Insurance Fund, had the honour to symbolically hand out the first health insurance card to one of the Tanykina families. Other special guests present were the Honorable Kenyan MP David K. Koech,  world champion athlete Moses Kiptanui , representatives from the Ministry of Medical Services, the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation,AAR and PharmAccess. After the official ceremony a band started playing, raffle games were held and lunch was served.
TCHP
TCHPwill result in increased access to good quality health care, delivered by qualified medical staff in upgraded clinics and hospitals (with sufficient beds and available medication). The cost of the TCHP will be deducted at the end of each month from each participating member’s milk account in order to pay for the coverage. With a low coverage cost starting at Kshs 375 for a 1 person family size to a maximum of Kshs 1,499 for a 7 or more family size, the THCP ensures that each member of Tanykina Dairy Plant Ltd can access this unique healthcare plan. The Health Insurance Fund subsidizes part of the premium to make the plan even more affordable.

First reactions
Laetitia van den Assum, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kenya was happy to note the private sector approach used in developing a healthcare product with the Tanykina Dairy Plant Ltd. “The TCHP is more than just health insurance coverage, it includes enhanced facilities, services, medical supplies and insurance coverage that will result in increased access to good quality healthcare. It should be viewed as a full package or scheme that will enable an improvement in the health of farmers and their families which leads to an improved economic situation by enabling the farmers to keep working and not being forced to sell key assets to cover medical costs”

Mr. Alex Kirui who is the chairman of the Tanykina Dairy Plant Ltd was pleased that this product is now launched.  “This healthcare plan provides affordable access to quality healthcare for the Tanykina members and their families. It takes into consideration the members healthcare needs and financial requirements and is a welcome product”

Hon. David K. Koech, MP for Mosop Constituency was delighted that people within the Tanykina catchment area would now be able to access quality health care.  “The people of Tanykina and surrounding communities will benefit immensely from this healthcare plan. We do hope to see more members signing up since this is truly an affordable healthcare plan”

Health facilities
Through the TCHP, health facilities within the Tanykina catchment area have been upgraded to provide quality primary health care. These new facilities are located at Kaiboi, Kaigat, Chepkemel, Kabiemit and Chepterwai. The TCHP will also provide referrals to two quality referral facilities: AAR Clinic in Eldoret and the Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital. The TCHP also covers transport for emergency cases and ensures that there are no additional costs incurred by a member.

Several marketing activities have been planned to promote the healthcare plan and get additional members signed up. Member events will be held every week where information about the healthcare plan will be provided. A radio sponsorship is currently underway and will increase the recruitment efforts. Trainers will also be visiting farmers conducting door to door recruitment and educational visits.

More information
For more information please see www.pharmaccess.org or www.hifund.org or contact Laurens Pels at l.pels@pharmaccess.org or +31 20 5661577