Private hospitals lift SHA boycott after Ruto’s NHIF claims pledge

The Rural & Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) has now lifted the suspension of services offered under the Social Health Authority (SHA).

This comes following the move by President William Ruto directing the payment of the now defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) claims for facilities owed below Ksh.10 million.

President Ruto, in a statement on Wednesday, noted that hospitals with claims above Ksh.10 million will undergo a verification exercise that should be completed within 90 days, after which a payment plan will be agreed on.

“The directive by President William Samoei Ruto to pay all claims below Ksh.10 million in full provides immediate relief to 88% of affected healthcare facilities, 2,986 providers),” said RUPHA Chair Dr. Brian Lishenga.

“Many of these facilities are Level 2, 3, and 4 hospitals that serve a large proportion of Kenyans. Their financial stabilization is critical to maintaining uninterrupted service delivery.”

RUPHA has however demanded the payment of NHIF arrears be done within the next 7 days, failure to which they will resume their boycott.

“We feel that in order to be some temporary relief and some equity in the process that there are claims which don’t have any dispute they have been verified by the SHA branches and headquarters, if there is a cap of Ksh.10 million, we feel that these facilities should be paid that Ksh.10 million as they await the verification process…this will ensure that they continue to provide services which are stuck,” Dr. Lishenga said.

The service providers have also poked holes on the medical insurance serving teachers and police officers, MAKL

“Given these ongoing failures, RUPHA maintains the suspension of MAKL services and calls for the immediate intervention of the scheme underwriters,” added Dr. Lishenga.

They have also called for further reforms in the stages of processing SHA claims terming it too lengthy and bureaucratic.

This even as faith-based health service providers in the country issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government to clear outstanding debts owed to them by NHIF.

The health facilities want Ksh.10 billion owed to them by SHA and Medical Administrators Kenya Limited (MAKL) - which serves teachers and police officers - paid, failure to which they withdraw their services.

“The Kenya faith-based health services providers are issuing a 14-day ultimatum demanding for immediate payment of outstanding NHIF, SHA & MAKL debts totaling to Ksh.10 billion...We will be forced to suspend offering services to the beneficiaries of the said scheme and offer the services on cash basis,” said Bishop Cleophas Oseso Tuka, of the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru.

The latest threat by the faith-based health service providers comes as a big blow to the government, coming at the center of a financial crisis which is crippling the health sector.

According to the religious leaders, the facilities are owed about Ksh.6.8 billion by the defunct NHIF, Ksh.2.2 billion by SHA and Ksh.1 billion by MAKL.

“The faith-based leaders have reached a painful decision, since we cannot afford to take in more debt after numerous engagements with the Ministry of Health, SHA and all necessary Government leaders,” said Bishop Tuka.