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Kenya’s Health Crisis as SHA Comes Undone

This week, the government’s signature healthcare project, the Social Health Authority (SHA) will face its most formidable challenge yet.

• Last Friday, an association of over 600 private hospitals said it would be suspending SHA services and an insurance scheme covering key public employees.

• According to the association, the new health authority has refused to pay KSh 30bn owed to their member hospitals by the now defunct NHIF, but that’s just a tip of the iceberg.

• This week, the government will be scrambling for quick solutions to the issues facing SHA’s implementation, just five months after the system became functional.

Although the Rural & Urban Private Hospitals Association (RUPHA) has since said its member institutions will still offer emergency services, and a prominent Catholic priest said that Catholic hospitals will continue offering services, the base issues are likely to have extreme ripple effects on healthcare in the country.

The pressure for SHA to cover NHIF’s arrears is perhaps the most immediate concern, as private hospitals are running thin on finances as they integrate with the new system, which has also limited its access to pharmaceutical suppliers. The payments would restore the creditworthiness of healthcare institutions, and perhaps free up much needed financial bandwith as stakeholders adapt to the new system.

But the lasting issues are likely to be operational concerns, especially the constant feedback that the SHA system is unreliable as it constantly glitches. This is just one facet of the issues bedevilling the new system; patients have also complained of low insurance cover despite monthly deductions, and the glitches have affected healthcare delivery.

Stay updated on this and other important news on The Kenyan Wall Street.

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Have a great week!