Faith-based Institutions threaten service cutbacks over delayed NHIF payments

This demand follows a pledge from the government, represented by Principal Secretary Hary Kimtai, to disburse Ksh 4.5 billion by next week.

As reported by Emily Chebet, the faith-based health institutions have emphasized the need to address various issues, including the settlement of claims, before fully onboarding to provide services under the new health scheme.

During a meeting convened by Kenya’s faith-based health institutions, which include the Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK), the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM), Principal Secretary Hary Kimtai unexpectedly joined the discussions. 

His arrival coincided with the institutions' deliberations on potentially scaling down their health services due to the Ksh 7 billion debt owed to them by the NHIF.

Kimtai, who was not initially part of the meeting, held a closed-door session to address the concerns raised by the leadership of these institutions. 

According to the representatives, despite numerous follow-ups, the outstanding bills accumulated through the Edu Afya and Linda Mama programs have yet to be resolved. 

They also raised issues regarding the ongoing system upgrade for the Social Health Authority, which has resulted in inconsistencies and difficulties in registering or claiming payments through the new system.

After hours of discussion, Kimtai assured the institutions that the ministry would address the issues promptly.

“This afternoon, the committee will review the situation as we have already secured Ksh 1.5 billion to begin disbursements to all healthcare facilities. We are implementing this to ensure transparency in the process, as some facilities previously received payments while others did not. We have developed a formula to settle these debts,” he stated.

Kimtai also announced that an additional Ksh 3 billion will be disbursed to health facilities by next week, urging them to continue offering services.

“We assure them that claims starting from October 1, when the rollout began, will be prioritized to prevent future debt accumulation. The reforms were introduced due to the substantial outstanding bills owed to health facilities,” he added.

According to Kimtai, the defunct NHIF owes health facilities approximately Ksh 30 billion.

The faith-based health institutions had initially planned to issue a seven-day ultimatum for the government to remit the pending bills. Failure to do so would have led to a reduction in their healthcare services to handle only emergency cases. However, Kimtai’s visit left the institutions refraining from making further statements on the matter.