No SHA services from Monday, private hospitals declare

Chairman of the rural private hospitals association of Kenya (RUPHA) Dr Brian Lishenga (left) flanked by a member Anne Waita address the press at a Nairobi hotel on Wednesday,December 20,2023.[FILE,Standard] Kenyans will only have to choose between public hospitals or part with cash while seeking healthcare services beginning Monday, private medical facilities have declared. The Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association (RUPHA) chairperson, Dr. Brian Lishenga, said the facilities will shut their doors for Social Health Authority (SHA) after their 14- day ultimatum demanding payment of debts owed to them, elapses by Friday midnight, without government's response. "Our notice expires at midnight tonight and on Monday morning, next week, we will be suspending credit services to SHA," he said after the association's special general meeting on Friday. "Members were disappointed that the government has not reached out to private hospitals in order to provide, an amicable solution," he stated. This comes after government failed to heed to their demands, top of which, is settling of unpaid government bills amounting to Sh76 billion it owes the hospitals. In a press briefing on September 5, when they issued the 14-day go-slow notice, decried that the facilities are staring at a complete collapse, even as he painted a grim picture of the hospitals languishing in. The debt, according Dr. Lishenga, comprises Sh33 billion owned by the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and another Sh43 billion accumulated under the new scheme, SHA. "Hospitals are in crisis. Patients are having difficulties in many hospitals; unless something happens, we are staring at a lot of hospitals shutting down, and patients will struggle to get healthcare," he said. He added: "We are willing to continue wih the difficulties we have been having in the next 14 days. After that, we only have two options: either we all collapse and get auctioned and sold out or they poay us someything we contoinue offering services to Kenyans." RUPHA faulted the government of politicising NHIF debts settlement, citing delayed Primary Healthcare disbursement across most counties . "This is the lived reality of hospitals, not the narrative of timely payments presented to the public," he said. "50 per cent of all claims from lower-level facilities (Levels 2-4) remain unpaid. In particular, general inpatient and surgical claims have stagnated, with hospitals reporting 10 to 20 payout ratios in these categories." This as President William Ruto announced that his administration will cover the cost of SHA insurance for 2.2 million Kenyans. Speaking on Friday during the launch of SHA Sponsorship programme at State House, Nairobi, the president said the beneficiaries of the medical scheme will now access healthcare services free of charge. He added over a Sh4.4 billion cheque to SHA to cater for vulnerable citizens. "We are paying for 558,000 households, translating to 2.2 million Kenyans. We have over 6,000 hospitals where Kenyans can access medical services and this is anchored in law," he said.

No SHA services from Monday, private hospitals declare

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Related Topics

Popular this week

Latest Stories

The Standard Insider

Digger Classified

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH US

FOR THE LATEST JOB ADVERTS

DIGGER JOBS

Digger Motors

Digger Real Estate

No SHA services from Monday, private hospitals declare

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Related Topics

Trending Now

Popular this week

Latest Stories

The Standard Insider

Digger Classified

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH US

FOR THE LATEST JOB ADVERTS