- MPs want NHIF to use the current service provider, terming the new equipment wastage of taxpayers' money.
- NHIF was planning to switch to a new system at Sh1.6B
Image: FILE
Members of National Assembly’s Committee on Health want a Sh4.2 billion procurement process by National Hospital Insurance Fund halted.
The MPs argued that the procurement plan of a new biometric system was ill-timed as the country is going through hard economic times.
The legislators further said they will invite ICT Principal Secretary John Tanui to explain whether NHIF requires a new system.
“We will call for a meeting with NHIF, PS ICT and service providers who were contracted to service the old biometric system, to know why they want to procure a new one,” committee chair Robert Pukose said.
NHIF Chief Executive Samson Kuhora, who was before members, had revealed that the system they are using currently cost Sh1.6 billion.
Pukose said Kahuro should justify their decision to request for a new system.
He said NHIF cannot proceed with plans to procure a Sh4.2 billion system when the economy is struggling.
“We feel that this is unacceptable and wrong and that is why we want to go deeper into this matter,” he added.
He further added that NHIF should provide details of how the current system works after it emerged that the Fund has in the last five years been upgrading it.
Kahuro told the committee there were gaps in the current system, the reason they want it upgraded. Kuhora further gave a breakdown of the status of the eight hospitals that the fund had suspended contracts with.
He told the committee NHIF has recovered Sh360,698 from Jekim hospital which was suspended after an audit established malpractices.
At Amal Hospital and Beirut Pharmacy and Medical Centre, staff implicated were interdicted to pave way of investigations.
The audit revealed there was a mismatch of hospital and NHIF records and inconsistencies in patient notifications and procedures done on patient.
The facilities came on the spot for having major surgical claims from a big number of employees from the same company yet the indication was that the affected members were at work.
At St Peters Orthopaedic and Surgical speciality in Kangemi, the documents showed that there were cases of impropriety by the facility as it was paid Sh 379 million yet it was a level four hospital and was not supposed to offer specialised orthopaedic services.
According to the document, 57 claims emanating from the hospital amounting to Sh 11.2 million had discrepancies between NHIF records and hospital file, while another eight out of the 47 beneficiaries confirmed to have been picked from their homes and returned by hospital vehicle after undergoing specialised surgeries.
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