Elijah Wachira, the head of the Social Health Authority (SHA), has assured the public that no contracted health providers will deny members access to essential services such as dialysis, cancer treatment, or maternity care. This statement comes in response to numerous complaints from patients who reported being told they would need to pay cash for these services moving forward.
Concerns were particularly raised by DJ Krowbar, who highlighted the impact of these developments on dialysis patients. He shared on X that his wife received a call from her dialysis center, which previously accepted payments from the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), stating they would now require cash payments. Krowbar noted that each dialysis session costs Sh9,500, a fee that was previously covered by NHIF.
In light of these concerns, Wachira emphasized that access to dialysis and cancer services will not be restricted, and that maternity services should not be denied at Kenya Essential Package for Health (KEPH) level 2 and 3 facilities. He also stated that actively managed schemes will continue to provide access to these services.
Furthermore, Wachira clarified that claims for patients who were admitted before September 30 will still be processed through NHIF, regardless of their discharge date, aiming to alleviate concerns about continuity of care for patients.
Wachira’s statement coincides with the government’s official rollout of the Social Health Authority (SHA) today, which is set to take over responsibilities previously managed by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
As of Monday, September 30, over 2 million Kenyans had registered under the new scheme, with more expected to join as SHA becomes fully operational.
