The controversial Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) continues to generate more heat than light with the Council of Governors (COG) accusing the government of bypassing them in its implementation.
The Council noted that no single County had signed the Intergovernmental Participatory Agreement (IPA) with the Ministry of Health as the rollout exercise kicked off on Tuesday.
This came as the Social Health Authority (SHA) announced that over 12.5m Kenyans had registered for the scheme despite teething problems among the 15 counties targeted in the first phase.
According to the Chair of health committee in COG Muthomi Njuki, the health scheme was marred with irregularities and confusion with counties reduced to bystanders.
The Tharaka Nithi Governor said that none of the counties had signed IPA with the implementation authority yet most of the Health facilities were run by counties.
“The rollout for the SHIF has kicked off across the counties but unfortunately no county has signed the Intergovernmental Participatory Agreement thus locking us out,” he said.
Speaking during the COG quarterly meeting in Enashipai Spa in Naivasha, Muthomi noted that tens of health facilities were yet to be registered, raising concern among patients.
He noted that patients suffering from chronic diseases were also in danger as there was no cover for them after NHIF stopped services two days ago.
“We are calling on the government to increase funding to this exercise which is marred by many challenges including lack of enough devices to register new members,” he said.
The PS for Public Health Harry Mutai however assured the Governors that the government was seeking an extra 65,000 devices for all public health facilities.
He admitted that the registration process faced teething challenges adding that they were meeting various stakeholders including COG to resolve them.
He assured those who were suffering from chronic diseases and had been registered under NHIF that they would be covered under the new scheme.
“We shall audit the Ksh 30 billion that NHIF allegedly owes counties and we have released Ksh 1 billion to KEMSA to procure critical medical supplies to counties,” he said.
He said that patients under the new scheme would have three months to pay through a paybill number before shifting to the e-Citizen portal.
SHA CEO Elijah Wachira noted that despite emerging challenges, over 12.5 million people had been registered in two days and 9 million members transferred from NHIF to SHIF.
He termed the exercise as 85 percent successful while blaming that slow registration to the high turnout among Kenyans eager to join the new health scheme.
“The government has invested heavily in the system and I have directed all hospitals to treat those patients with chronic diseases as they await to be registered under the new system,” he said.
On her part, the Chair for the CEC health caucus Rosylene Omollo questioned the implementation and period and programme for the new scheme.
“Counties have been left out in this programme and if it fails, we shall be the ones left with an egg on our face thus the need for more information,” said the CEC for health in Homa Bay county.
This was echoed by her Nandi counterpart Ruth Koech who said that counties were owed over Sh30B by the defunct NHIF and it was not clear how this would be resettled.
“Hundreds of patients suffering from chronic diseases are in limbo over treatment and some counties are working on a lean budget and cannot be able to pay for their services,” she said.
