Patients at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) recently took their frustrations to the Ministry of Health offices, protesting the operational failures of the newly rolled out Social Health Authority (SHA) system. The new health cover, which was intended to provide accessible and affordable healthcare, has left many patients feeling stranded and helpless due to ongoing system failures that prevent them from receiving essential treatments.
Several patients expressed their anger, recounting how they had paid for services upfront, only to find that their payments were not reflecting in the hospital’s database. “Some people have come from Kibwezi and others from Mombasa; SHA is not working, and they are not approving. The systems have been down since last week,” one patient lamented. Despite having paid for services, patients like Diana have been denied treatment, with SHA continuously blaming system failures. Diana shared her frustration, stating that she had undergone a Caesarean section but was told she would not be treated unless SHA approval was granted. She, along with many others, walked from office to office in vain, only to hear the same excuse: “The systems are down.”
The situation has sparked widespread dissatisfaction, with patients complaining about the lack of transparency and accountability. Some patients have been left stranded outside the hospital, unable to access care due to the unresponsive SHA systems. Despite their payments being processed, they are being told that they cannot be treated until the system issues are resolved.
This development comes on the heels of President William Ruto’s recent reassurances that the issues surrounding the transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to SHA would be resolved. During a National and County Governments Coordinating Summit, Ruto acknowledged the challenges Kenyans face with the new health scheme, Taifa Care, describing them as a result of the scheme’s “scale and ambition.”
However, as patients continue to face barriers to healthcare access, the urgent need for effective solutions has never been clearer. Until these operational issues are resolved, the credibility of SHA and its ambitious goals remains in question.
