Kenyans have been handed a reprieve after acting Social Health Authority (SHA) CEO Elijah Wachira ordered all contracted hospitals in the country to continue treating maternity, cancer and kidney patients.
The transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) under SHA had left many Kenyans depending on the now-defunct medical cover to access critical medical services biting their nails over the cost of footing their own bills with cash.
Wachira’s directive comes after Kenyans flooded social media to lament that several hospitals had denied them treatment such as kidney dialysis and maternity services amid the transition. The SHA CEO ordered that the services continue uninterrupted in all contracted medical facilities across the country.
“Further to my earlier letter on the above subject matter, kindly further note that:- No member will be denied Dialysis and Cancer services, Maternity services should not be denied in KEPH levels 2 and 3, and Active Managed schemes should continue accessing services,” the SHA CEO said.
Wachira ordered all contracted hospitals against turning away patients, and instead re-register all that will show up with NHIF cards.
On Monday, September 30, popular Gospel disk jockey DJ Krowbar shared an emotional message online, lamenting the potential denial of services to kidney patients. The DJ revealed that his wife had been asked to spend Ksh18,000 per week for her dialysis.
“So this evening at around 6:30 pm there, my wife got a phone call from her dialysis centre. Not only her, but thousands all over the country, that tomorrow morning, 1st of October, if you have to come and do your dialysis, you have to pay cash,” DJ Krowbar stated.
