SHA did not fund ghost hospital, says Mwangangi

A cow grazes outside Ndhiwa Dispensary in Homa Bay County. [Courtesy, Nation]

The Social Health Authority has dismissed claims that it disbursed Sh20 million to a non-existent medical facility in Homa Bay County.

This follows social media reports that Nyandiwa Health Centre, a dispensary in West Kamagak Ward was receiving payments for medical services from SHA.

A report by a local daily however found that the facility ceased operations years ago.

But SHA Chief Executive Dr Mercy Mwangangi now claims that the payments were legitimate after undergoing strict verification by the Authority.

Mwangangi further clarified that an abandoned structure photographed by journalists was an incomplete facility built by the previous county administration, and not the beneficiary of SHA disbursements.

Instead, the SHA CEO states that Nyandiwa dispensary, established in the 1970s, was upgraded to a Level 4 Hospital and is the facility currently receiving SHA payments.

“In line with standard practice, the hospital retained its existing bank account under the name 'Nyandiwa Dispensary' as it transitioned to Level 4,” reads Dr Mwangangi's statement.

The SHA boss acknowledged a disbursement of Sh19,998,720 in August to Nyandiwa Dispensary. She further stated that the facility has also received Sh751,504 under Primary Health Care (PHC) and Sh82,080,706 under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) so far.

However, a background check by The Standard on the SHA portal found that in addition to the Sh19,998,720 disbursement, the facility also received Sh695,520 in a second disbursement this month.

Another check also revealed that Nyandiwa Dispensary is not listed on the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) portal.

KMPDC, which licenses medical facilities, instead lists Nyandiwa Level 4 and Nyandiwa Baptist Dispensary, a Level 2 facility in Homa Bay County.

Mwangangi maintains that the Authority won’t disburse funds to non-existent or uncontracted facilities due to rigorous verification measures it has employed.