NAIROBI, Kenya – Millions of Kenyans have been automatically migrated to the newly launched Social Health Authority (SHA), replacing the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
The transition, which began this week, was marked by an influx of messages notifying citizens of the change.
“Your NHIF account has been migrated successfully to Social Health Authority. To update your profile dial *147#, visit sha.go.ke or any authorized SHA agent,” read one of the official messages sent to affected individuals.
This development follows the official rollout of the SHA by the Ministry of Health. With over 12.5 million registrations already recorded, the new scheme is rapidly gaining traction despite some initial skepticism.
On Tuesday alone, 400,000 new registrations were logged, bringing the total to 12,540,117 subscribers.
Speaking during the rollout, Principal Secretary for Health Mary Muthoni reassured Kenyans that their previous NHIF contributions are secure and have been transferred to the SHA.
“No money is going to be lost; that money will be rolled to SHA,” Muthoni emphasized, addressing public concerns.
SHA CEO Elijah Wachira moved to allay fears that some healthcare providers would deny services to members under the new scheme, following complaints from patients.
Wachira stressed that contracted providers are still required to offer essential services, such as dialysis, cancer treatment, and maternity care, without interruption.
“No member will be denied access to dialysis or cancer services. Maternity services should not be denied at Kenya Essential Package for Health (KEPH) level 2 and 3 facilities, and actively managed schemes will continue to access services,” Wachira said.
For those Kenyans who are yet to complete the transition, Health Cabinet Secretary Debrah Barasa reassured the public that they will continue receiving treatment under the old NHIF system for now. However, she urged them to register with SHA promptly.
“No hospital will send anyone back home because they haven’t registered. Instead, they will register you and treat you,” Barasa stated, offering further clarity on the ongoing transition.
The transition, which began this week, was marked by an influx of messages notifying citizens of the change.
“Your NHIF account has been migrated successfully to Social Health Authority. To update your profile dial *147#, visit sha.go.ke or any authorized SHA agent,” read one of the official messages sent to affected individuals.
This development follows the official rollout of the SHA by the Ministry of Health. With over 12.5 million registrations already recorded, the new scheme is rapidly gaining traction despite some initial skepticism.
On Tuesday alone, 400,000 new registrations were logged, bringing the total to 12,540,117 subscribers.
Speaking during the rollout, Principal Secretary for Health Mary Muthoni reassured Kenyans that their previous NHIF contributions are secure and have been transferred to the SHA.
“No money is going to be lost; that money will be rolled to SHA,” Muthoni emphasized, addressing public concerns.
SHA CEO Elijah Wachira moved to allay fears that some healthcare providers would deny services to members under the new scheme, following complaints from patients.
Wachira stressed that contracted providers are still required to offer essential services, such as dialysis, cancer treatment, and maternity care, without interruption.
“No member will be denied access to dialysis or cancer services. Maternity services should not be denied at Kenya Essential Package for Health (KEPH) level 2 and 3 facilities, and actively managed schemes will continue to access services,” Wachira said.
For those Kenyans who are yet to complete the transition, Health Cabinet Secretary Debrah Barasa reassured the public that they will continue receiving treatment under the old NHIF system for now. However, she urged them to register with SHA promptly.
“No hospital will send anyone back home because they haven’t registered. Instead, they will register you and treat you,” Barasa stated, offering further clarity on the ongoing transition.
