KNH emergency area.Kenyatta National Hospital CEO Dr Evanson Kamuri has directed the health facility to issue uninterrupted care to patients in the event of a downtime in electronic payment systems.
In a statement on Tuesday, Dr Kamuri said the referral facility experienced a brief downtime on its systems, which temporarily affected the e-Citizen and Social Health Authority (SHA) platforms.
"The issue was promptly resolved, and normal operations resumed shortly afterwards. At no time were patients denied services during this period," he said.
"I have consequently directed that all patients, particularly those on dialysis and cancer treatment, receive uninterrupted care without delay in the event of any future system challenges," he added.
The CEO said harmonisation of documentation will follow once systems are fully operational, and as such, system failure should not be cause for service depreviation for patients.
He assured the public that the hospital is taking proactive measures to enhance system reliability and minimise the likelihood of future interruptions.
"The hospital remains committed to delivering seamless service, ensuring that all operations continue even during unforeseen disruptions," Dr Kamuri said.
On January 15, angry patients from the hospital stormed the Ministry of Health Headquarters at Afya House to complain about alleged SHA system failure.
The dramatic episode at the ministry during a live press conference presided over by the CS in charge prompted an apology from Dr Kamuri, who said that the two-day challenges had already been addressed and normal operations resumed.
“Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) wishes to acknowledge a slight lapse in patient care today and reassure the public that the Social Health Authority (SHA) system is now fully operational and aligned with the KNH system. Normal operations have resumed, and patients are being attended to,” Kamuri said in a statement.
The technical hitch temporarily disrupted some services, causing delays in patient clearance and administrative processes.
"We deeply regret the inconvenience this may have caused to our patients and their families,” Dr Kamuri said.