President William Ruto has vowed that the Social Health
Authority (SHA) will succeed, saying the government is determined to eliminate
fraud in the health sector.
Speaking on Wednesday during a meeting with grassroots
leaders from Kiambu County at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said the digitization
of SHA is helping to detect fake claims, ghost hospitals, and fraudulent
patients who have been exploiting loopholes in the system.
“The theft that collapsed NHIF into Sh30 billion debt will
not happen under SHA. The digitization process of SHA is what is making us
detect all the fraudulent claims, all the ghost hospitals, and all the fake
patients attempting to carry out fraud,” Ruto said.
He revealed that nearly 1,000 health facilities have already
been shut down after being flagged for malpractice.
The President said the purge was not only going to end at
closing the facilities down but all stolen funds must be returned.
Ruto added that all found culpable will be charged because stealing
is a crime.
“We are not going to stop at closing the facilities. We will
also make sure they refund the money if they have been paid. And thirdly, we
are going to prosecute them, because it is criminal to steal money meant for
patients,” he warned.
The Head of State assured Kenyans that the reforms will
protect public resources and guarantee access to quality healthcare.
“So watch this space. SHA is going to work, because we are
going to eliminate fraud,” he said.
The Social Health Authority (SHA) has announced the
suspension of several health facilities across various counties in Kenya, temporarily
cutting them off from accessing the national social health scheme.
The announcement was made through a gazette notice issued on
Tuesday by the SHA Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Mercy Mwangangi.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 48 (6) of
the Social Health Insurance Act, 2023, the Social Health Authority hereby gives
notice to the public of the suspension of the health facilities set out in the
Schedule below,” the notice stated.
Dr. Mwangangi did not disclose the specific reasons for the
suspension.
The affected facilities are spread across multiple counties,
with Mandera registering the highest number at ten.
Others include Wajir (two facilities), Kisumu (three), Narok
(one), Turkana (one), Garissa (three), Kakamega (two), Homa Bay (six), Bungoma
(two), Kisii (seven), Meru (one), Kirinyaga (one), Busia (one), Migori (one),
Nandi (one), Kajiado (one), Nairobi (one), and Uasin Gishu (one).
