Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale reiterated on Monday that only legitimate National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) medical claims from healthcare providers, which are pending, will be paid after a thorough verification process.
Duale made this commitment during the inauguration of the National Health Insurance Fund Pending Medical Claims Verification Committee. Current records indicate that the defunct NHIF owes healthcare providers approximately Kshs. 33 billion.
“I would like to urge and challenge the Committee to thoroughly scrutinize the outstanding claims and only recommend the genuine claims for payment,” said the CS.
Duale emphasized that the government is serious about the matter and warned that the Committee will be held accountable for any payments made for services not rendered.
“This Committee has been established to provide an independent, thorough, and transparent review of medical claims submitted to the defunct NHIF which to date, remain unpaid,” he said
To expedite the process, the Cabinet Secretary called upon all stakeholders—including healthcare providers, the SHA Board and Management, oversight agencies, and the public—to support the Committee’s work to ensure integrity, fairness, accountability, and transparency.
The Committee will serve for a period of three months.
He acknowledged that the government understands the financial difficulties faced by some healthcare providers, but stressed the importance of this process to ensure value for money as well as transparency and accountability in the purchase of healthcare services.
