All hospitals under the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) announced on Thursday, February 20, that they will withhold treatment for patients under the Social Health Authority (SHA) starting Monday, February 24.
While making the announcement, the heads of RUPHA also announced that their hospitals will stop treatment for select civil servants using insurance backed by government institutions starting Monday.
“We will stop providing medical services (to some civil servants) using the government insurance from Monday,” announced Rev Joseph Kariuki, Deputy Chairperson, RUPHA.
According to RUPHA, the move was necessitated by the state's failure to pay for services done in the last year. In their statement, the body said the govt which covers the civil servants has forced them to take unexplained discounts, failed to pay hospitals for over 11 months, and favoured its own clinics in an uncompetitive and unethical manner.
"It follows months of failed engagements, unfulfilled promises, and growing financial distress among hospitals, which now threatens the very survival of healthcare institutions across Kenya," RUPHA said in a statement.
According to RUPHA, this is the last result to force the government to improve the services being offered under SHA. Their demands include a settlement of Ksh30 billion owed to the hospitals accumulated under the old National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) since 2017.
RUPHA says that despite the government's promise to clear the debt, it will not continue services unless there is a clear plan for making the payments.
The body says its members have had their hospitals auctioned, lost employees, and, as a result, some specialists have refused to offer services. Doctors are now saying they will not treat patients without paying cash.
The hospitals are also demanding that the government review the Global Budget Capitation being used for outpatients. Global budget capitation is a healthcare payment model where providers receive a fixed, predetermined amount to cover all necessary services for a specific population over a set period.
This approach aims to control costs, promote efficient resource use, and enhance care quality by incentivising providers to focus on preventive measures and effective management of chronic conditions. According to the medics, the government has placed a capitation of Ksh900 which translates to about Ksh75 per person, per month.
"This model is a direct threat to patient safety, forcing hospitals into cost-cutting measures that will compromise the quality of healthcare. We refuse to put Kenyan lives at risk," RUPHA noted.
RUPHA wants the capitation reviewed and changed, ensuring fair and timely payments under the MAKL scheme, preventing further exploitation of hospitals, and settling the NHIF pending bills.
"We urge Parliament, civil society, and professional bodies to support urgent reforms that will protect the healthcare system from complete collapse," the body said.
