The Ministry of Health has confirmed an increase in daily funding for intensive care unit (ICU) and high dependency unit (HDU) services under the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
In a post on social media, the Ministry stated that the public insurance scheme will raise the daily ICU fee to Ksh28,000, up from Ksh4,600.
“HDU/ICU coverage has increased sixfold—from Ksh4,600 to Ksh28,000—ensuring families are protected from out-of-pocket payments during emergencies,” the Ministry announced on Tuesday.
This follows a proposal by Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa last month to increase the fees.
"Previously, we were at Ksh4,480, but we are happy to report that ICU will now benefit from Ksh28,000 per day," the CS stated, adding that the changes would soon be announced.
Under the old rates, SHA provided coverage for ICU and HDU services, with daily rates determined by the healthcare facility's level. In Level 4 facilities, the government covered up to Ksh3,360 per day, while patients in Level 5 facilities were covered up to Ksh3,920 per day, and those in Level 6 facilities received up to Ksh4,480 per day.
SHA provides each household with a maximum of 180 days of coverage annually for these services. If hospital charges exceed these specified limits, beneficiaries are required to make co-payments to cover the additional costs.
In February, during the inaugural national and county governments' health summit hosted by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki at his official residence in Nairobi, Barasa revealed that the government planned to revise the benefits provided to Kenyans.
“We have revised the benefits and tariffs package. There is additional funding through the supplementary budget to facilitate an increase in ICU funding,” Barasa announced.
At the time, Barasa also revealed that the government would review the allocation for cancer patients seeking oncology services, increasing it to Ksh550,000 from the current Ksh400,000 per day.
"Equally, for oncology services, we are happy to report that previously we were at Ksh400,000, and following concerns from the public, we have been able to increase this to Ksh550,000. This is an additional increase of Ksh150,000 for oncology cases," she added.
According to the government, the scheme, which has faced protests since its launch in October last year, is set to undergo further improvements. However, the government has already raised concerns over low contributions, particularly from those in informal employment.
Last month, CS Barasa and Director General of Health Dr Patrick Amoth revealed that the scheme is facing a funding crisis, with only 3.3 million of the over 20 million members actively contributing.
