SHA rollout: More pain as patients still stranded countrywide, forced to pay for services

The shift from the defunct National Health Insurance Fund to the new Social Health Authority continues to face challenges, with patients being asked to pay out of pocket due to the new digital system and lack of funds in hospitals.

Private and faith-based hospitals are struggling to stay afloat following a huge debt owed to them from NHIF.

Citizen TV visited Nyanjwa Adventist Mission Hospital in Kisii County where a majority of hundreds of patients present were stranded. The transition from NHIF to SHA cover is complicating their lives.

"We haven't got help. We thought SHA covered this, only to be told we have to start from level three. When we went there, we couldn't be helped at all because no proper system was in place," said Onchari Abuga, a resident.

Another patient Florence Kerubo, added: "We don't understand why we're being told to pay again with SHA. Some of us are poor. The government should help us."

Even though the government has directed health facilities to offer services to all with a promise to clear pending NHIF bills owed to healthcare facilities, some patients continue to get turned away due to lack of money.

Private and faith-based health institutions say they are struggling to sustain the new scheme.

Davison Obonyo, a hospital manager at Nyanjwa Adventist Mission, says the challenges with the SHA system and lack of funds to offer services have led to a drop in the number of patients seeking services at the facility.

Patients at Litein Mission Hospital face the same challenges. Some are forced to pay cash or seek services elsewhere. Citizen TV met with a dialysis patient who was yet to be attended to after the family was asked to raise Ksh.8,600.

"We have been receiving treatment for free, but now, when he fell ill, we were sent to casualty and told to pay Ksh.8,600," stated a resident Esther Rono.

Leonard Kibet Sigei added, "There is a medication we usually get here, and we attend clinic here, but now we've come and are being told we can't receive services unless we pay, or be admitted for SHA to work."

A considerable number of Kenyans say they are yet to understand even the basics of the new system, such as transferring from NHIF to SHA and the monthly contributions, which some feel have been placed in the wrong category.

"Previously, we were told to pay Ksh.300 for lower-income people like us. Now I'm being told to pay Ksh.750, and for my husband, it's Ksh.1,030. This SHA thing is troubling us and isn't helping with outpatient services," Joyce Koech, another resident noted.

"I don’t understand SHA or NHIF. Now we are being told to pay money we don’t have. I don’t know how we will enroll our children under SHA, and they’ve set a limit of three children. Where will we put the rest?" Mike Rono added.

The government's promise to clear Ksh.4.5 billion of the NHIF debt has been termed a drop in the ocean against a claim of more than Ksh.30 billion owed to various facilities by the government through the defunct NHIF.