NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 1 – Social Health Authority acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elijah Wachira has assured of continued access to dialysis, and cancer treatment as part of its system roll-out for the 2024- 2026 period.
Wachira in a circular sent to all contracted healthcare providers directed that the services should continue uninterrupted, asserting that health facilities should not deny patients healthcare services.
”Further to my earlier letter on the above subject matter, kindly further note that: – No member will be denied Dialysis and Cancer services,” read the circular in part.
Additionally, maternity services in facilities classified as Kenya Essential Package for Health (KEPH) levels 2 and 3 will not be withheld.
According to Wachira, the directive seeks to ensure that patients under actively managed schemes will continue accessing their healthcare services without interruption in the face of the transition from the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Earlier, Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Mlongo Barasa flagged off essential health products and commodities ahead of the SHA rollout.
Barasa emphasized the importance of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) in reducing healthcare costs and ensuring universal health coverage for all Kenyans, urging Kenyans to register under the scheme.
SHA unveiled by the government earlier is segmented into three funds namely the Primary Healthcare Fund, the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illnesses Fund, and the Social Health Insurance Fund each receiving different allocations from the health ministry.
However there are still unanswered concerns regarding the standards by which households in the unorganized sector will be grouped to calculate their yearly contributions to the health fund.
