The Ministry of Health announced on Monday that it had released Ksh 9 billion to the Social Health Authority(SHA) that was part of the money owed to healthcare facilities by the defunct National Health Insurance Fund(NHIF).
According to the Health Principal Secretary, Harry Kimtai, the funds will also include an additional Ksh 1 billion for the Linda Mama Program.
The government plans to continue with offering free healthcare to expectant mothers using the additional allocation to the Linda Mama program.
''The government has released KES 9 billion to the Social Health Authority (SHA) to address outstanding bills incurred by healthcare facilities under the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF),’’ Kimtai announced.
Speaking in Nakuru during the inauguration of the Rift Region Multi-Sectoral Committee, Kimtai revealed the funds will reflect in hospitals' bank accounts by the end of this week.
This announcement comes 29 days after the rollout of SHA, which has been subject of debate over teething problems experienced following the government's decision to transition to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) from the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Initially, faith based health care institutions and other private facilities had threatened to down their tools over what they termed as the government's delay in releasing funds owed to them by NHIF.
The PS however affirmed that the government was keen to address the challenges to ensure that no patients were denied services amid the standoff.
This comes even as Kenyans across the country, reporting to various hospitals continue to highlight cases of being denied services which has been partly attributed to the payment stalemate.
''We’re committed to addressing challenges to ensure no patient is turned away," Kimtai affirmed.
The disbursement is set to offer reprieve for thousands of Kenyans seeking for health services across various health facilities in the country.
At the same time, the Health PS encouraged County Governments to sensitize their constituents on the new health insurance scheme in order to ensure Kenyans access healthcare services seamlessly.
Kimtai also emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to disbursing payment claims in a timely manner going forward. He communicated that claims would be settled within 90 days which he stated will lead to even more transparency.
