KENYA : Ministry of Health Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Barasa has addressed fears of the new health Insurance Scheme, Social Health Authority (SHA) after Patients expressed dissatisfaction.
Speaking on January 19, 2025, Dr. Barasa assured Kenyans that the Ministry has addressed reported systematic outages in the SHA Portal and that patients can now access health services seamlessly.
The Health Cs Stated that, "SHA is now Working Perfectly" affirming the government's commitment to providing affordable health coverage to all Citizens.
Ms. Barasa's assurance comes in the wake of an impromptu visit by Frustrated patients who stormed her media press briefing last week to express their displeasure over delays in the new health system.
In the incident captured by journalists who were covering the press briefing on Wednesday, January 15, patients lamented over the downtime experienced in the system.
As claimed by the patients, hospitals were unwilling to treat them before getting pre-authorization from the Portal.
One of the patients even questioned why there was no problem with the system when they were required to pay their contributions for the new health coverage.
"Others have come from Kibwezi and Mombasa. SHA is not working and approving. Since Wednesday last week, their systems have been down," she stated.
"We've gone to the offices of SHA, the ICT department even the pre-authorization and they are not able to give any access because they are not able to get into the portal."
The Ministry expressed confidence in the new health cover noting that many Kenyans were accessing medical services under SHA.
"Under the Social Health Authority (SHA), significant strides have been made in improving healthcare services. Beneficiaries include 8 kidney transplants, 8,300 dialysis sessions, and the management of 21,000 oncology cases," Health DG Patrick Amoth stated.
The implementation of Kenya's new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) has been marred by chaos and controversy, following numerous ignored red flags including multiple postponements, system failures, and the abrupt suspension of CEO Elijah Wachira.
Key red flags included Parliament's concerns over a Sh104.8 billion digital system contract, failed test runs in pilot counties, and insufficient public participation.
The transition from NHIF faced multiple delays from April to October 2024, with critics including Health Committee Chair Robert Pukose warning about potential corruption and questioning the need to replace NHIF's functional IT system.
The implementation has caused widespread disruption, particularly affecting terminally ill patients, with hospitals unable to access the system and uncertainty over payment processes.
Despite clear warnings from lawmakers, civil society groups, and healthcare stakeholders, the government proceeded with the rollout, leading to system glitches and service delivery challenges that have significantly impacted healthcare access.
The World Bank's 2023 Digital Health Implementation Guide specifically cautioned against the "big bang" approach adopted by Kenya, recommending instead a phased rollout with robust contingency plans.