Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has clarified the 70-year-old cancer patient's claims that the Social Health Authority (SHA) was not covering his treatment.
Speaking in Nakuru on Thursday, July 24, during the launch of TaifaCare, Duale dismissed Gatamu Waigwa's claims, stating that they were false.
According to Duale, Waigwa's insurance premium was still active, and he needed to go to SHA's office for any assistance.
“Even that elderly man you saw yesterday on NTV, we reviewed the records this morning and found that he still has an active premium. If he has any issues, he shouldn’t go to Nation Media."
"Nation is not a hospital. He should go to the SHA office and seek help from a Community Health Promoter," Duale said.
Waigwa, who appeared in an NTV media story on July 22, said that he has stage 3 prostate cancer and has been traveling from Nyeri to Nairobi for treatment for the past four months.
The patient stated that SHA would no longer cover his treatment until the next financial year.
In the viral video, Waigwa said that NHIF had been seamlessly covering his oncology treatment with Ksh600,000 per year. However, he claimed SHA reduced his coverage by Ksh200,000 to Ksh400,000.
“NHIF used to cover up to Ksh600,000 per year. But when SHA took over, they forced us to migrate from NHIF, and SHA robbed us. If my figures are right, SHA now only covers Ksh400,000 a year.”
“I have written to SHA a number of times, very strong letters, but they have never even acknowledged a single one. They have never addressed the concerns I raised,” Waigwa stated.
Waigwa said that he has only two weeks left to finish the cancer medication he is currently taking, and it's costing him Ksh92,800.
"I have two weeks left to finish the cancer medication I am currently taking, which costs Sh92,800, as well as injections totalling around Sh10,000. If I don't have them, according to my doctors, the cancer will spread and kill me. I do not want to die," he added.
