The Social Health Authority (SHA) does not have any contract with any service provider on digitisation of Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) software, it has emerged.
Board chair Abdi Mohammed clarified that the existing contract that SHA inherited was between the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the service providers of the system they were using called HICS.
“The digitisation contract being alluded to is between the Ministry of Health and Safaricom PLC and Apiero LTD and Konvergenz Network Solutions,” he stated.
Health care digitisation is one of the key pillars in delivery of UHC as it increases efficiency, enhances data portability and minimises fraud
Mohammed noted that SHA is part of the bigger health digitisation agenda that involves Kenya Medical Supply Agency (KEMSA), 17 regulators (among them Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council, Pharmacy and Poisons Board and Nursing Council), health care providers (hospitals and health care workers devices, connectivity, power back up and licences).
“SHA is probably being dragged into the alleged Adani deals by the cartels who were benefiting from NHIF at the expense of citizens,” Mohammed said.
Leaders have been asking President William Ruto to also cancel deals Adani allegedly entered with SHA.
This is after the President on Thursday directed the ministries of Transport and Petroleum to forthwith cancel all signed and impending deals with the company on the takeover of JKIA and Ketraco respectively.
"It is not enough to cancel the Adani Group deals in JKIA and Ketraco; Adani is also in SHA/SHIF. Ruto should also cancel this deal immediately,” Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka said on his X feed.
Safaricom recently clarified that it has partnered with Apeiro Limited and Konvergenz Network Solutions Limited to launch a Sh104.8 billion investment in an Integrated Healthcare Information Technology System (IHTS) aimed at improving Kenya’s healthcare infrastructure.
The IHTS is expected to roll out fully by February 2025.
The consortium will implement the system over a 10-year period in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to streamline healthcare services through digitisation.
