The olive harvest in the governorate of Monastir where it is estimated this year at 33,500 tonnes (equivalent to 6,700 tonnes of olive oil), evolved by 90%, Head of the Plant Production Department at the Local Agricultural Development Commission (CRDA) Mounira Gharbi Sahloul told TAP on Friday.
The governorate of Monastir recorded a 46% increase in the volume of the olive harvest compared to the previous season, although production is below the regional average of recent years, i.e. nearly 57,000 tonnes.
The governorate of Monastir has 82 oil mills which are operational during this harvest season, the same source said.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
The government will now start paying the bills of patients with terminal illnesses to ease the burden of medication for affected individuals.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha announced that hospital bills for terminally ill patients will be catered for through the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund that has been created.
She said the targeted patients will register with the fund, and once they go to any hospital, an invoice will be sent to the government to settle the charges without them spending a penny.
The CS said cases of diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, among other non-communicable diseases, are on the rise and costly to treat for the vulnerable.
She said that many households today struggle to seek medication for their loved ones who have terminal illnesses and end up losing their wealth without any hope.
Nakhumicha was speaking at the St. Mary’s Mission Hospital in Mumias Kakamega County during a working tour assessing hospitals’ readiness for the Universal Health Coverage
(UHC).
She said the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund, just like the Social Health Insurance Fund and the Primary Healthcare Fund, is contained in the Social Health Insurance Act, which is facing court battles.
She asked entities delaying implementation of the Act to be sincere and allow Kenyans who cannot afford medication for lack of money to be covered.
‘You know it doesn’t make sense that you have comprehensive medical insurance paid for by the taxpayers of this country, and when we start a plan for the vulnerable to get medical insurance, you go to oppose the implementation in court; it’s not fair,’ Nakhumicha noted.
She said she is optimistic that the Judges will dismiss the petition against the Act in order for the Ministry to launch its implementation, which includes a reduction of the NHIF from Sh500 to Sh300 per month for the vulnerable groups and the registration of patients for the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund.
The CS warned hospitals engaging in fictitious NHIF c
laims that she will soon name those involved in the fund fraud.
Source: Kenya News Agency