SHA chairman talks about challenges in rollout

The Social Health Authority (SHA) rollout has encountered challenges due to contracting issues and problems at facilities.

The authority's chairperson, Dr Mohammed Abdi, noted that delays in contracts between facilities and the SHA have led some to turn away patients.

During an interview on Spice FM, Abdi explained why not all facilities are onboarded to the new system.

“The reason why everyone is not on board is because of the previous contracting issues that NHIF used to have. It used to take two years, with many back and forth below the table discussions, for you to be on boarded,” said Abdi on Monday, October 7.

Abdi clarified that while the authority has begun empanelment of facilities through the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU), these facilities retain the autonomy to contract.

“You will have a few who might have been new centres, one-year-old, who have never been part of a change or are not members of an association. They are standalones, so they don't know what their leaders or their associations have engaged,” he added.

According to Abdi, SHA has empanelled all facilities previously contracted by NHIF and communicated all necessary details for a smooth transition.

 The new system, which launched on October 1, now has almost 6,000 facilities signed on.

Abdi further addressed public misinformation that has caused confusion among patients and facilities.

He dismissed claims of dialysis patients lacking services at all facilities, stating, “The total number of dialysis centres around 230 in say, maybe around 10 or 20 at most were the ones who are pushing patients away.”

He explained that under NHIF, dialysis was covered at Sh9,600, which has increased to Sh10,650 under the new authority.

 Abdi questioned why patients are being asked to pay Sh2,700 when tariffs do not align with the contract.

The authority has established call centres where patients and providers can seek clarification to avoid misunderstandings.

 “So patients' issues can be solved by the call centre and the providers' issues can be solved by the technical team,” he added.

Abdi advised that for information about the new authority, individuals can visit the website to access details on the act, regulations and tariffs related to SHA.