The government has moved to quell temperatures after uproar greeted
Wednesday’s migration of Kenyans from the National Health Insurance Fund to the
Social Health Authority without their consent, a day after the transition to the new health insurance.
The Ministry of Health migrated Kenyans who were yet to
register on the National Health Authority, which has been mandated to manage the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
The ministry on Friday defended the move saying the non-consensual migration was legal.
Speaking on Friday night during a town hall meeting in
Nairobi organised by Radio Jambo, the President’s adviser on Health, Thuranira
Kaugiria, said that SHIF inherited everything from NHIF.
“The movement to SHA is because it inherited
everything of NHIF. People were given time to register and on October 1, the
implementation started. There are no changes that have been made; you have just
been migrated to SHIF from NHIF,” he said.
Earlier,
Health PS Harry Kimtai clarified that legal notice No. 147 of 2024, provided
for the transition of registered and verifiable NHIF members to SHA.
According
to the ministry, SHA aims to offer enhanced services, broader coverage and
streamlined operations to align with the government's universal healthcare
goals.
"This
process ensures continuity of coverage and members are encouraged to verify,
update their profile and add dependents through our official channels at www.sha.go.ke," he
said.
The
PS further said the technical challenges encountered during the rollout have
since been resolved and the SHA system was now fully functional.
This
was after claims that the system was not working properly, forcing patients to
pay cash for treatment at some health facilities.
“We are pleased to confirm that the SHA claims
system is fully operational,” Kimtai said in a statement, adding that over 12.6
million Kenyans have so far registered on the portal.
“The
Ministry of Health appreciates the public's continued patience and cooperation
as we advance the roll-out of the Social Health Authority (SHA). While the
transition has presented some challenges, we are actively addressing them to
ensure a smooth and effective process,” the PS said.
He
further said that the training for health facilities on the claims portal
commenced on Friday at 3pm and will continue throughout the coming week.
Kimtai
said currently, 232 out of 353 renal and oncology providers have committed to
delivering services under SHA and this list will be published online.