‘High quality healthcare affects health and wellness,’ he said. ‘And that determines both the quality of, and general outcome, of life.’

Studies have of course shown that uninsured people, when sickness finally forces them to hospital, get not only less timely but also less medical care in whatever institution they visit.

This will generally lead to worse health outcomes, as in one can become those ‘continually ill’ people, which of course becomes a greater fiscal burden on the individual.

In-fact in Kenya, it is often said that most of us are an uninsured hospital bill away from penury.

But insurance in Kenya is an expensive affair, and for more ‘middle class’ folks, isn’t it?

Vice President Vishal Sharma of Bliss Healthcare has an answer.

‘For just Ksh 2000, you can now get health insurance for five members of your family/friends.’

This is what the Privilege Card is all about.

‘For two thousand bob per year,’ V.P. Vishal Sharma reiterates, ‘a Privilege card holder, and four other (family/friends) members get absolutely FREE outpatient consultations at all our Bliss + Medicross clinics.’ This is important because BLISS is the largest healthcare franchise in Kenya.

It means a ‘Privilege’ card holder can just walk into ANY of a hundred plus healthcare centers, spread across 45 out of our 47 counties, and get to see a doctor for a free health consultation.

‘Privilege card holders then get a 20% discount on lab investigations, like blood tests; 20% discount on diagnostics – that includes X-rays, CT scans and ultra-sound, say, for expectant mothers; and 20% discount on pharmaceuticals/medicines,” V.P. Vishal Sharma says.

Take the real life example of Ms. Makena Mbaabu, 32, who took up the Bliss Privilege card at the start of October, 2020.

In the month of October, her mother, a retired school principal who suffers from rheumatic arthritis was saved the trip and cost to a bigger private hospital by simply visiting the Bliss clinic.

‘She got her consultation, X-rays and medicines, ‘Makena says. ‘And afterwards went start month shopping at the supermarket (within the same building).’

‘Her grand-daughter, Kendi, is now nine and in Standard 4. And got a fungal infection when they were unexpectedly returned to school in October, without preamble/preparation ...’

Makena’s daughter, Kendi, was seen, treated and discharged at the Bliss Clinic in Buruburu.

‘In October,’ I was able to do my annual breast cancer examination at the Bliss Healthcare on Moi Avenue, ‘and my sister, Karimi (a teacher) in Kisumu, pregnant with her first child was worried she had malaria. She got the all clear at Medicross in Kisumu, and later did her ultra-sound at Bliss with ease.’

When Makena Mbaabu looks back at these four health events/outcomes (the fifth member on her Privilege card is her 65-year old Dad, miraa farmer in North Imenti), she calculates that the free consultations and discounts have saved her tens of thousands of shillings.

‘I can now buy my Kendi candy, and other goodies, for Christmas,’ she chuckles.

At Shs 2000 a year for a Privilege Healthcare card for five members, it translates to just Shs 400 a year per member. Or an incredible 36 shillings a MONTH for healthcare, your family welfare.

And access to BLISS, the biggest, and BEST, health care franchise in the entire republic of Kenya.