Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale, has assured that the Social Health Authority (SHA) will settle hospital claims by the 14th of each month to prevent the accumulation of pending bills for healthcare providers. Duale made this commitment on Tuesday at Afya House in Nairobi as he officially took over from Deborah Barasa.
Duale, who assumed office following the Cabinet reshuffle on March 26, vowed to address system challenges related to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and expedite unresolved human resource issues within the Ministry of Health (MoH). His leadership begins with immediate enhancements to healthcare benefits, including an increase in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU) bed rebate to Ksh.28,000 per day. Additionally, the oncology package for cancer patients has been raised to Ksh.550,000 per person.
To bolster the availability of medical supplies nationwide, Duale announced that the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA)
will receive a Ksh.1.5 billion recapitalization through the Supplementary Budget. Furthermore, he pledged to negotiate a credit facility of up to Ksh.5 billion for the agency. These measures are aimed at increasing KEMSA’s order fill rate to 90 percent, ensuring consistent supply of medical commodities, encouraging local manufacturing, and facilitating bulk procurement to lower costs.
Another significant reform under Duale’s tenure is the complete digitization of public health facilities, set for implementation by October 1, 2025. This initiative is expected to streamline operations and enhance efficiency in healthcare service delivery.
The transition from the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to SHIF has been marred by disputes over unpaid claims. Earlier this month, private hospitals temporarily halted services under SHIF, resuming only after President William Ruto assured that facilities with pending NHIF claims under Ksh.10 million would be paid.
To further address these concerns, Duale has appointed a 19-member committee tasked with reviewing and resolving pending hospital bills left by NHIF. These reforms mark a crucial step in restoring confidence in Kenya’s public health insurance system and ensuring the smooth delivery of healthcare services nationwide
