Patients seeking healthcare services in some counties in the country will have to part with Sh1,000 to be attended to.
This development follows the implementation of a Sh1,000 cash payment policy by rural hospitals in Kajiado, Narok, Nyamira, and Nakuru counties.
The Rural Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) has enforced this policy due to the delayed receipt of capitation funds for healthcare services from the National Health Insurance Fund. These counties have not yet received the necessary financial support from the national scheme, prompting the association to adopt this measure
The NHIF CEO Elijah Wachira has however noted that the government has released Sh5 billion to health facilities across the country.
RUPHA Chairperson Brian Lishenga, has maintained that despite the NHIF releasing funds, the money is lower than expected and is yet to reach some counties.
“We today announce that for NHIF beneficiaries up to 60 per cent of services will be on a cash basis, all hospitals will charge fee of Sh1,000 for outpatient care,” Lishenga said.
Lishenga further noted that admissions, surgeries, maternity care cancer care dialysis will also be subject to cash payment on a case by case basis.
“Nurses need to be paid, our suppliers have not been paid for many months now, we need to keep the lights on so we need to pay electricity bills; because of this situation we have no other option left to us,” Lishenga noted.
Last week, Health CS Susan Nakhumicha said the government will from Monday this week release money owed to health facilities across the country to ensure uninterrupted provision of services.
The target is to ensure at least Sh3 billion is disbursed to health facilities across the country before the end of the year.
Addressing concerns surrounding delayed payments to healthcare facilities, Nakhumicha reaffirmed the ministry's dedication to ensuring prompt fund disbursement.
"I can confirm that payments totaling Sh2.9 billion have been disbursed between July, August, September, November, up to the 15th of December," Nakhumicha said.
"I assure healthcare facilities of the ministry's commitment to disburse a total of Sh3 billion to all facilities by the end of the year with the payments scheduled to commence on Monday," she added.
The CS emphasised that the NHIF has contracts with 8,000 hospitals, 80 per cent of which provide comprehensive healthcare services and processes an average of 4,000 transactions per month.
