Aden Duale faces a daunting task as the new Health Cabinet Secretary.
His first priority should be to ensure the Social Health Authority delivers for Kenyans. Millions are counting on it.
The authority, launched last October to replace the flawed National Hospital Insurance Fund, promised universal health coverage.
But since rollout, it has faced crippling challenges. System failures have frustrated patients seeking care.
Preauthorisation problems cause delays, sometimes with fatal consequences.
Health facilities struggle with empanelment, leaving many providers unable to offer services.
Worse, the means-testing tool has set premiums too high for many low-income Kenyans.
The system is failing the very people it was meant to protect.
Duale must act fast. He must ensure the Social Health Authority is transparent, accountable, and efficient.
Funds must be protected. Loopholes sealed. Every Kenyan, regardless of status, should access quality healthcare without needless barriers.
He must also restore public confidence. Many Kenyans are sceptical of new agencies with lofty promises.
They want results, not rhetoric. Duale must demonstrate progress by fixing the broken systems and making healthcare affordable and accessible.
A functional Social Health Authority would transform lives. It could reduce out-of-pocket expenses, prevent needless deaths and ease the burden on overwhelmed hospitals. But only if it works as intended.
Duale’s legacy will be shaped by this. If he succeeds, he will be remembered as a reformer.
If he fails, Kenyans will continue to suffer. His priority is clear. The Social Health Authority must deliver.
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Quote of the day: “Necessity breeds
solution.” —American sci-fi author Anne
McCaffrey was born on April 1, 1926.
