Why Kenya must fix its healthcare financing now

Social Health Authority building in Nairobi. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Recently, nine insurance companies made a bold move by suspending their services at Nairobi Hospital, one of East Africa's top medical facilities. They cited the hospital's steep rise in treatment tariffs, arguing that absorbing these costs would force them to raise premiums for their clients, making healthcare unaffordable for many.

The reaction was swift and fierce. Critics accused the insurers of prioritising profits over the welfare of patients. The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) even went so far as to compare the insurers to a cartel, claiming they were conspiring to deny Kenyans access to quality healthcare.