Kenya mobilizes Sh 200 billion for hospital equipment

BY ERIC ABUGA

Through the Social Health Authority (SHA), Kenya will sustainably raise about Sh90 billion annually from own local revenue, without borrowing a single cent. 

Health Cabinet Secretary Adan Duale says, in addition, hospital equipment valued at over Sh200 billion has been mobilized through an innovative leasing program.

“These resources are the backbone of our Universal Health Coverage (UHC) journey, ensuring that every Kenyan can access modern, well-equipped health facilities and quality care close to home.”

The CS says that to curb fraudulent claims and strengthen accountability, SHA has embraced full digitization of its operations.

This transformation, he says, is to ensure efficiency, transparency and faster payments to health facilities.

“Already, hospitals are receiving more funds through SHA than they ever did under the former NHIF system, with KSh58 billion disbursed to facilities just two months shy of the programme's first anniversary.

Seme Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. James Nyikal says Kenyans should not be discouraged by the challenges facing the rollout of the new SHA system.

Dr. Nyikal expressed confidence that SHA would eventually operate effectively once the teething problems are addressed.

The MP, who chairs the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health, revealed that the committee has benchmarked similar health insurance systems in countries such as Germany, Japan, and Thailand, where universal health coverage has proven successful.

“As a Parliamentary Health Committee, we are committed to strengthening the SHA system and ensuring it works as intended to benefit Kenyans. No Kenyan should be left behind once it stabilizes.”

He highlighted delays in payments of hospital claims, inadequate training for health workers on how the system operates, and flaws in the government’s means-testing tool used to determine contribution premiums for non-salaried workers as some of the major challenges for SHA.

 “The means-testing instrument is not providing accurate contribution rates as you will find some low-income earners are unfairly being asked to pay higher premiums, while wealthier individuals are sometimes assigned lower contribution rates.