Private Hospitals Accused of Denying Services to SHIF Patients, Risk Blacklisting

MOMBASA, Kenya – Two days after President William Ruto urged private hospitals to complete their enrollment with the Social Health Authority (SHA), alarming reports have emerged that 50pc of the registered private facilities are denying services to Kenyans under the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) scheme.

Medical Services Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai, speaking in Mombasa, accused the facilities of demanding cash payments from patients, particularly targeting low-income individuals, despite being part of the government’s healthcare program.

“These facilities are giving flimsy excuses about the system not working properly, but we are now preparing to publish a list of those contracted to SHIF,” Kimtai stated. “This way, if a patient is asked for cash up front, they will report the hospital to us, and we will take action, which could include blacklisting the facility.”

Since SHIF’s rollout three weeks ago, there has been widespread public concern about its implementation, with many patients reporting that they are being forced to pay out of pocket, even though they were previously covered under the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

The backlash is placing increasing pressure on the government to address the obstacles in the new system.

“There are some facilities that are selectively using the system,” Kimtai added. “For example, dialysis patients receive treatment under SHIF, but other patients are being asked to pay.”

The government is intensifying efforts to ensure compliance, with 47 county technical steering committees set to oversee the more than 7,000 health facilities enrolled in the program.

County Commissioners and County Health Executive Committee Members (CECMs) will spearhead the initiative to ensure smooth implementation across the country.

Involving faith-based organizations in monitoring the rollout is also part of the plan, according to Josephine Onunga, County Commissioner of Taita Taveta. “We want all stakeholders, including religious groups, to see how well the program is functioning in each county.”

SHA CEO Elijah Wachira acknowledged that the initial rollout faced technical challenges, but he said those had been resolved. The current focus, he said, is on training healthcare workers. “We’re training doctors and nurses in every hospital to ensure they can properly use the new system, which is more advanced than the previous one.”

In a move to further address concerns, Kimtai assured the public that the government had released Ksh.1.5 billion last week, with an additional Ksh.3 billion to follow, aimed at clearing pending bills owed to healthcare facilities within the next 90 days.

“We will not allow any facility to claim ignorance of the system,” Kimtai emphasized. “The county health executives are fully responsible for ensuring that every registered facility under their jurisdiction is providing the necessary services.”