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Patients have escaped from Kenyatta National Hospital without paying Sh5.4 billion.
The growing debt at the national referral institution continues to threaten service delivery, further raising queries about the effectiveness of services by the hospital.
Hospital CEO Lily Koros explained that the hospital has accumulated the debt from defaulting patients and other institutions.
“The unpaid bills are to the tune of Sh5.4 billion. We have been writing letters to those whose contacts we have, asking them to pay. However, some are from street families and there is not much we can do about that,” she said.
According to a report by the Auditor General tabled in Parliament early this year, patients escaped without paying Sh47.5 million in the 2015-2016 financial year.
Insurer failed
The report also points out that the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) owes the hospital Sh311 million, which the insurer failed to remit after the hospital provided medical services to its members.
Yesterday, Ms Koros, however, stated that the hospital and the national insurer have since resolved the matter and NHIF has been keeping up with payments.
“They are on top of the matter and all their pending debt will be cleared,” she said.
Despite measures to curb the debt, it happens routinely because KNH is required to take care of all emergency patients regardless of their ability to pay and doctors are required to care for the patients.
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