The Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, has warned all healthcare facilities across the country against over-admitting patients.
Speaking before the National Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday, July 8, Duale said that all hospitals will be required to admit patients depending on their bed capacity. If a hospital wants to admit more patients, it will be required to expand its infrastructural capacity.
The CS has warned that hospitals that will contravene the order, which will be considered as insurance fraud, will face stiff repercussions, including non-payment of Social Health Authority (SHA) claims.
Duale has asserted that the directive not only aims to streamline healthcare service provision in these hospitals but also restore dignity in healthcare facilities.
"You can't have three or more people share one bed, and then you go ahead to submit false claims on SHA. I have even had conversations with some major referral hospitals, such as the Kenyatta National Hospital, where I have asked that if they want to admit more patients, they should purchase more beds," Duale said.
"The dignity of patients is very important to me because there is no way some people will sleep on the floor and others on the beds, [or patients]who are total strangers and don't even have the same disease [share a bed]. I want to assure you that this will not happen under my watch," he added.
In a statement on Sunday, June 29, the CS warned that the government would put an end to unnecessary hospital admissions where facilities coerce health workers to admit patients without any medical justification to increase claim values.
Stakeholders, including healthcare facilities, healthcare workers, and patients found engaging in such fraudulent activities, will face legal prosecution in addition to being shut down, according to Duale.
"We have noted with great concern a growing trend of fraudulent activities being perpetrated by some healthcare facilities, healthcare workers, and even patients against the Social Health Authority (SHA) Fund. These actions are illegal, unethical, and a direct betrayal of the trust placed in our health system," Duale said.
In a statement on Friday, June 13, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), confirmed that it had closed down 728 health facilities across the country and downgraded 301 more, which were found to be non-compliant, in its ongoing crackdown.
According to the council, the facilities, which are located in Mandera, Nairobi, Wajir, Kisii, and Nyamira counties, had either failed to adhere to licensing rules to meet critical infrastructure and operational requirements.
According to the council, the crackdown aims at ensuring that only facilities capable of delivering safe and quality healthcare continue to operate.
"These inspections are guided by The Inspections and Licensing Rules, 2022, developed under the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (CAP 253). The rules provide a robust framework for regulating healthcare facilities and ensuring compliance with ethical and professional standards," a statement from the council read.
