Kenyans getting raw deal from SHA rollout, doctors say

Many Kenyans are having doubts about the transition fron NHIF to SHIF. [Courtesy, Linkedin]

Medical doctors have told the court that Kenyans are getting raw health coverage from the government despite paying more than premium insurance coverage from the private sector.

At the same time, they are challenging the transfer of their data from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA).

In their case filed before the High Court in Nairobi, Dr Clarence Eboso, Dr Darwin Abuka, Dr Cherono Siele, and Dr Bosibori Ondari claimed that there is no guarantee that their data is secure. They added that they did not consent to be enrolled on the new scheme.

They claim that the involvement of Apeiro Limited, a company with links to Adani Group, in the Universal Health Care (UHC) system management, is reason enough for Kenyans to worry about their data.

They further claim that India is among the countries known for hacking and lack of data protection. Apeiro holds the largest stake in a consortium that was awarded the Sh104 billion deal to provide an Integrated Healthcare Technology System (IHTS) for the UHC program.

According to them, the health scheme by the Kenya Kwanza government is inferior and expensive. They argued that Kenyans will pay more, but will get lower premiums from the scheme.

"The regulations have provided tariffs where benefits drawn from the fund from contributions do not even nearly match the free market thereby compelling Kenyans to apply their private property in an inferior insurance cover," the four medics claimed.

They argue that despite the High Court finding that the government had unfairly targeted employed people, it has not remedied the situation or devised a means to ensure that all pay is equitably distributed to all.

They argue that setting the rate to pay for SHA as a percentage of gross income amounts to double taxation as Pay As You Earn (PAYE) already taxes the gross income. The court heard that those with pay slips will be hit harder than those who are either doing business or not employed.

Dr. Cherono was the first to swear an affidavit in the case. She said she works as a pediatric registrar at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and is an employee of Kericho County.

She stated she was an NHIF member and was getting the comprehensive civil servant medical cover. "I would make a contribution of Sh1,700 monthly from my post-tax income, and my employer would pay NHIF a lumpsum annual amount to enhance its employees' cover," she said. According to her, the NHIF cover was enough to provide adequate cover for her and her family. However, she lamented that her household will now be required to pay Sh21,000 per month for SHA.