Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has dismissed critics who continue to propagate what he termed as the falsehood that the Social Health Authority plan is not functioning.
Mudavadi said some hospitals eligible for the SHA program are mismanaging their operations and apportioning blame to the Ministry of health and the government.
“I am here to set the records straight. Those politicians using podiums to say that the government is behind the troubles facing St. Mary’s Hospital in Mumias are misleading the people. The hospital put forward a claim of Sh117 million under the SHA program, and so far, they have received Sh82 million in payment,” Mudavadi said.
He said some politicians have continuously castigated the programme without proper facts.
“The government through the Ministry of health has the records, and I am a witness. I have a copy of the records. If they want to dispute and bring on an argument, I am ready to produce the evidence of what they received in November and December last year and the subsequent payments under the SHA programme,” he added.
Mudavadi assured Kenyans that the government is continuously looking into shortfalls in the Social Health Authority (SHA) to ensure all Kenyans have access to quality medical care.
He cautioned that misappropriation and mismanagement by individual hospitals and health facilities should not form a basis of condemning the program and pointing fingers at the government.
“I am giving Kenyans these figures because I know people are malicious; they don’t want this program to roll out in full. If the management of St Mary’s Hospital is unable to demonstrate accountability, then they carry their own cross," Mudavadi added.
“When politicians lack of knowledge and without any substantiated facts stand up and accuse the government claiming that SHAH is not working, they should ask the hospitals are they accountable?”
He said that SHA claims have to be verified first, and what the government is putting across is that everybody must be accountable from bottom to up and from up to bottom.
Mudavadi accused a number of health facilities that are hiding crucial evidence on the SHA program giving room for downgrading the program.
He added that the government is cognizant of the challenges Kenyans are encountering with the new health scheme and reaffirmed that every effort was being made to streamline the scheme.
“Some cartels were using the previous scheme to swindle funds and cripple the health sector. Now, with accountability we are demanding the listed beneficiary health facilities to produce evidence. Don’t just shout that the government has to be accountable, President Ruto has to be accountable, Mudavadi and Speaker Wetang’ula have to be accountable, and when you are asked to produce your evidence as a health service provider for the money you have received you begin wagging your tail.”
SHA is designed to provide healthcare services from empaneled and contracted healthcare providers and healthcare facilities on referral from primary health facilities.
The benefits under the Social Health Authority include preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services provided at level 4, 5, and 6 health facilities under the fund.
He was speaking in Manda Shianda ward in Malava constituency during the burial of UDA Malava Parliamentary seat aspirant Enock Andanje.
