SHA concerns: Govt releases KSh 9b to pay NHIF hospital bills as patients decry lack of services

• The government has announced plans to settle KSh30 billion in unpaid hospital bills from the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
• The National Treasury has allocated KSh1.5 billion towards hospital bills following the establishment of the Social Health Authority (SHA).
• Health Services Principal Secretary (PS) Harry Kimtai has confirmed an additional KSh9 billion to pay the bills, including KSh1 billion for Linda Mama.

TUKO.co.ke journalist Wycliffe Musalia has more than five years of experience in financial, businessand technology reports, and offers deep insight into Kenyan and global economic trends.

President William Ruto’s administration has announced an additional KSh9 billion to clear hospital bills owed to the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).

This follows the first disbursement of KSh1.5 billion from National Treasury pay 30 billion Kenyan shillings hospital bills following the deployment of the Social Health Administration (SHA).

How will SHA spend the state allocation under KSh 9b?

Health Services Principal Secretary (PS) Harry Kimtai confirmed that the additional allocation would go towards paying for hospitals and 1 billion Kenyan shillings free maternity fund For Linda Mom program.

“I can confirm that funds are currently being distributed to agencies and will be reflected in their accounts by the end of this week, including KSh1 billion allocated for the Linda Mama program to provide free health care for pregnant women,” Kimtai said.

Are there problems accessing SHA services?

This comes as patients continued to complain about poor services under the new healthcare scheme, with some alleging a lack of treatment in hospitals.

With over 12.9 million Kenyans already registered with SHAincluding former NHIF members, a majority of Kenyans have expressed concerns about the scheme.

There have been reports of patients stranded in hospitals as most facilities demand cash for treatment.

How many hospitals are contracted under SHA?

On Tuesday, October 22, PS Kimthai noted that more than 7,000 health care providers have already entered into contracts to provide services.

Kimtai alerted health workers by demanding cash from patients that they risk being blacklisted.

He added that Community Health Promotions (CHPs) will assist in household registration to ensure inclusivity and called on counties to actively participate in the implementation.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, journalist and editor of TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke