Frustrated patients stormed the media press briefing by Health CS Deborah Mulongo to express their displeasure over delays in the new health system.
In the incident captured by journalists who were covering the press briefing on Wednesday, January 15, patients lamented over the downtime experienced in the system.
As claimed by the patients, hospitals were unwilling to treat them before getting pre-authorization.
One of the patients even questioned why there was no problem with the system when they were required to pay their contributions for the new health coverage.
“Others have come from Kibwezi and Mombasa. SHA is not working and approving. Since Wednesday last week, their systems have been down,” she stated.
“We’ve gone to the offices of SHA, the ICT department even the pre-authorization and they are not able to give any access because they are not able to get into the portal.”
”They have resorted to just making us go in circles knowing very well that if you go to a certain office where they have referred you, then there is no amount of help you would get,” added another patient, who was holding her baby.
The patients detailed to the CS that at some point, some of the people who had been frustrating them referred them to Principal Secretary of Medical Services Harry Kimtai.
Among the patients was a mother of a 3-day-old baby, who had just undergone a caesarian section surgery and could not be processed to leave the hospital.
”We have walked all the way from Kenyatta because of this thing called SHA, can you tell the truth to Kenyans,” another patient added.
