The roll-out of the Social Health Authority (SHA) is set to begin on October 1, with over one million Kenyans already registered under the new health scheme. The Ministry of Health reports that the roll-out process is 98% complete, with only a few final details remaining. Health Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Barasa has urged Kenyans to continue registering.
“Over 1.2 million people have voluntarily registered. Ensure you register before visiting healthcare facilities. SHA will transfer existing NHIF members to the new system, so it’s important to complete your registration,” Dr. Barasa stated during the opening session of the master trainers’ training for the health provider portal at the Kenya School of Government (KSG).
Registration Platforms
A total of 1.16 million Kenyans have registered using the USSD code *147#, which has emerged as the most popular platform with 700,300 users. The SHA.GO.KE portal follows with 400,000 registrations, while the Afya Yangu platform ranks third with 27,000 users.
According to SHA acting Chief Executive Officer Elijah Wachira, “A total of 7,876 healthcare providers have already been empanelled through the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) in readiness for SHA rollout.”
Dr. Barasa added that the SHA will transition current National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) members to the new system. She emphasized that the training aims to equip healthcare workers with the necessary skills to enhance healthcare delivery.
“This training will ensure nationwide coverage, enhancing operational efficiency for better patient outcomes and strengthening health financing systems,” Dr. Barasa said.
Preventing Fraud
To ensure SHA’s efficiency, minimize human interface, and prevent fraud, Dr. Barasa explained that the government has invested significantly in comprehensive and integrated end-to-end digitization of healthcare.
Over the past few months, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Council of Governors and the Safaricom-led Consortium, has developed a comprehensive and integrated system to facilitate the registration of Kenyans as members of the Social Health Authority (SHA). This system will interconnect all health facilities across the country, the SHA, and KEMSA, according to Dr. Deborah Barasa.
“This will be achieved through the Health Information Exchange, commonly referred to as the ‘Digital Health Superhighway,’” Dr. Barasa explained.
The training, which includes approximately 100 master trainers—80 from the former NHIF, 10 from the Ministry of Health, and the remaining from various partners—is the initial step toward the system’s deployment. Dr. Barasa noted, “The master trainers will train county and health facility teams and oversee the deployment of the SHA Health Provider Portal across all health facilities in the country.”
The new system will replace the NHIF claims management system in preparation for the SHA services rollout on October 1, 2024. The training will be conducted concurrently with the deployment of health management information systems and the training of Community Health Promoters (CHPs) and Community Health Assistants (CHAs) who will assist with the SHA registration.
Dr. Barasa emphasized the importance of handling the transition from NHIF with care, following legal procedures and human resource guidelines. After September 30, Kenyans will no longer be able to access healthcare services under NHIF as the government transitions fully to the new health insurance scheme, SHIF.
Elijah Wachira stated that the benefits under SHIF will take effect on October 1 and will be managed by SHA. SHIF was introduced on July 1, following the expiration of the NHIF on June 30.
Medical Services Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai encouraged NHIF staff to embrace the new program and contribute to its success.
