Govt to Compel Hospitals to Display List of Free Services In New Reforms

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has issued a stern warning to healthcare facilities charging fees for vaccination services, assuring that the government is engineering strategies to end the practice.

According to the health boss, the Ministry of Health is in the process of introducing new regulations that will require all healthcare facilities to display a list of all services offered for free in the facility.

Despite the government's efforts to dispense the necessary funds and resources that will ensure that vaccination is free, some hospitals charge for these services, which ends up sabotaging the effectiveness of the country's healthcare system, according to the CS.

"We have a situation where facilities are charging for vaccination, which is supposed to be free. We are going to make it mandatory that all facilities, either public, private, or faith-based, must have a charter so that the citizens can see that the following Items are free," Duale said.

"I went to the National Treasury immediately I became the minister for healh and we agreed that there will be enough budget for vaccination because we must protect our citizens, particularly our young people, from all the preventable diseases," he added.

Duale said this during thelaunch of the National Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan2026-2030 on Thursday, January 15.

The plan aims to reinforce the country's effort against cervical cancer, which is one of the leading causes of women's mortality in the country, especially through HPV vaccination.

The HPV vaccination is a vaccine designed to protect against Human Papillomavirus, a common virus that is usually spread through skin contact, preventing most HPV infections that cause cancers like cervical, anal, oral, and genital warts.

The vaccine works by teaching your bodyto create antibodies against specific cancer-causing HPV types, and is usually given to preteens, ages 10-14, in two doses, or three doses for young adults.

Through the plan, the government is expected to introduce several policy reforms, including transitioning to a single-dose HPV vaccination schedule, expansion of HPV DNA testing, introduction of self-sampling to increase screening uptake, as well as the deployment of digital health innovations to extend services to women in all 47 counties.

"The newly launched, costed and results-oriented Action Plan is designed to drive progress towards the global 90–70–90 targets; vaccinating 90 per cent of girls against HPV, screening 70 per cent of women, and ensuring 90 per cent of those diagnosed receive timely treatment," Duale said.

"The plan prioritises HPV vaccination, early and equitable screening, prompt treatment and long-term follow-up, in line with the World Health Organisation’s strategy to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat," he added.