The Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has issued a notice to patients using the Social Health Authority (SHA) to seek inpatient services at the public hospital.
In the notice released on Tuesday, July 8, KNH listed a three-step process for patients, after uproar over technical issues faced by KNH during the admission of patients using SHA.
In the complaints, patients had decried high costs, cases of maximum admission charges, and failure of SHA systems at the facility that receives numerous patients daily.
While expressing their frustrations, patients seeking crucial medical services were forced to pay for hefty bills out of pocket despite them having registered for the government-backed health premium.
In the first step of the process, patients are required to carry the national identification card used during SHA-registration. “Make sure you have a valid SHA-registered ID number with active SHA membership,” KNH stated.
The second step entails ensuring one had received a reference number from SHA. After receiving the number, one is required to ensure they have received a confirmation number from SHA indicating their visit has been successfully initiated.
The third and final step is checking one’s Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) status to ascertain whether it is active or not.
If inactive, patients are advised to activate it immediately and then return to the health information desk to get a new reference number. As per KNH, doing so would ensure that one benefits from the SHA cover starting from the date it is issued.
KNH warned that SHA would not cover any costs if the admission entry was not properly referenced at the time of entry.
Currently, the SHA inpatient package at KNH, a Level 6 hospital, entails management of the disease/condition while admitted, pre-admission evaluation, hospital accommodation charges, meals, and nursing care in general ward beds.
Other services are intra-admission consultation and reviews, labs, imaging, procedures, medicines, bedside services including physical therapy, occupational therapy, oxygen, and therapeutic nutritional support, transfusion, post-discharge medication, or follow-up within the treatment plan.
In terms of pricing, SHA waives Ksh5,000 daily with a limit of up to 50 days per household. Once a patient passes 50 days, the accompanying bills are charged into the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIF).
