- The services will be fully operational by October 1, when all civil servants have been directed to have registered for the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
- The trainings begin a few days after government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said the government was focused on public awareness and education regarding the transition from NHIF to SHA.
Image: FILE
The Ministry of Health is launching countrywide trainings ahead of the Social Health Authority services rollout.
The launch will be presided over by Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa.
She will be joined by PS for Medical Services Harry Kimtai, Director General for Health Patrick Amoth, and the Social Health Authority Chair and CEO.
They will brief on the roadmap to the October 1 digitisation of healthcare services.
The services will be fully operational by October 1, when all civil servants have been directed to have registered for the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
This comes a few days after government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said the government was focused on public awareness and education regarding the transition from NHIF to SHA.
Speaking on September 5, Mwaura said the draft contracts with healthcare providers had been finalised.
Mwaura said as of September 3, 2024, 861,101 Kenyans had registered with SHA and 9,792 health facilities, including 2,008 public and 7,784 private and faith-based facilities, were licensed with KMPDC.
SHIF was rolled out on July 1, 2024 after the National Health Insurance Fund expired on June 30, 2024.
The registration exercise is done through self-registration USSD code *147#.
It is also conducted through the website http://sha.go.ke, with the assistance of Community Health Promoters or by visiting NHIF offices and other designated registration points.
There are three forms of contributions to SHIF, salaried employees in the formal sector will channel their contributions through their employers at a rate of 2.75 per cent of an individual's gross salary, while non-salaried individuals in the informal sector will also contribute 2.75 per cent of their incomes, as determined by means testing.
Then, Mwaura said the national and county governments will pay the insurance premiums for the poor, prisoners/those in custody, and vulnerable populations through social protection, as determined using testing.
The shift from NHIF to SHIF introduces enhanced benefits such as full digitisation, biometric verification, independent accreditation, an expanded benefits package and reduced monthly premiums from Sh500 to Sh300.
Others are fair contributions for all sectors, universal coverage, emergency care, and government support for the very poor and severely disabled as outlined in the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2003.
With the SHA card Kenyans will have access to all health facilities including public, private, and faith-based organisations.