Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir has scrapped medical assessment fee charged to persons with disability in Mombasa as the county seeks to roll out a comprehensive medical cover of the vulnerable groups.
Speaking at Tononoka hall, during an exercise to register persons with autism in the county, Nassir also ordered for immediate mapping of all persons with disability among them children with autism within Mombasa County so that they can benefit from cash transfer programs among other services.
“Money that people with disabilities pay to get medical assessment will be free from now going forward, we will hold meetings with my cabinet to tell them the importance of mapping up all children with disabilities so that they can reap benefits from the county.
Nassir said after the mapping the county will now roll out a comprehensive medical cover of the National insurance fund NHIF to over 10,000 persons in Mombasa with priority given to persons with disability.
“After Ramadhan,in the first week, we will start giving universal health care coverage to over 10,000 families, among them children coming from poor backgrounds,orphans,disability widows and widowers,” said Nassir.
Nassir was responding to a cry by Mombasa county (NCPWD) coordinator Juliet Ruwa, who decried that persons living with autism have continued to bear the brunt of marginalization in health, education and development due to lack of registration cards.
“We are requesting the assessment money to be scrapped because without that they will not be registered, and they will not also benefit from cash transfer and other services offered, “said Ruwa.
Ruwa said registration of persons with disability in Mombasa will highlight the nature of their disability, it will also easen the burden of addressing their plight and needs without victimization.
“If they fail to get the cards, it will be difficult for them to be recognized as among persons with disability,” she added. She was speaking at Tononoka hall during a meeting convened by the Mombasa county government.
