NHIF scheme dealt blow by Nyeri hospital

By LYDIAH NYAWIRA

Nyeri, Kenya: Consolata Mathari Mission Hospital has declined to renew a contract with the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to offer outpatient services to civil servants.

The hospital claimed they incurred a loss of Sh13 million last year from the scheme for civil servants and defence forces.

Hospital administrator Father Boniface Mwangi said the hospital had conducted an audit with NHIF officers and they raised their concerns with NHIF headquarters without any fruitful response.

“We cannot operate with the amount they are offering. The mission hospitals will unfortunately have to turn away civil servants and defence officers,” Fr Mwangi said.

He said NHIF was paying Sh2,800 per contributor attached to the hospital per year. The amount is, however, paid quarterly at Sh750 per patient.

“Paying out Sh750 every four months per person is not enough to cover the outpatient service of medical, optical and dental for our clients,” Mwangi said.

NHIF head of operations Margaret Nzwi confirmed they had ended their contract with the mission hospital, but settled all their claims from last year.

“It is their choice to withdraw and any civil servant allocated to that hospital has been assigned to another provider,” said Nzwi.