No time to wait, sceptical Kenyans tell Ruto on SHIF amid appeal for patience
Anna Cheptonui,50, weeps outside the Margaret Kenyatta Mother Baby wing in Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital on October 2, 2024 after her 18 year-old daughter who had given birth at the facility under the Linda Mama programme was detained until she pays Sh7,500.
What you need to know:
- On Sunday, President Ruto asked Kenyans to be patient and have faith in the Social Health Authority.
- Social Health Authority was introduced as part of President Ruto’s ambitious healthcare reform agenda.
Patients missing critical procedures like chemotherapy because hospitals are demanding cash upfront due to the chaotic transition to a new healthcare system have scoffed at the president’s latest assurances.
The patients and their relatives say they don’t have the luxury of time to wait until the government fixes the bureaucracy yet the diseases are aggressively progressing as time passes.
On Sunday, President William Ruto appealed to Kenyans to exercise patience and have faith in the Social Health Authority (SHA).
“I call on all Kenyans to have faith and a little patience. In a matter of weeks, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) will be serving efficiently,” President Ruto said during the Mashujaa Day celebrations in Kwale County.
Despite the president’s assurances, many Kenyans remain skeptical and anxious about when they will begin to see tangible improvements in the transition.
The Social Health Authority was introduced as part of President Ruto’s ambitious healthcare reform agenda, aimed at providing universal health coverage to all citizens. However, the transition has been marred by logistical challenges and inadequate infrastructure leaving the country’s most vulnerable populations at risk.
Countless Kenyans have voiced their frustrations and concerns about the healthcare system, with many struggling to access essential medical services and asking the President to stop joking with their lives.
“We cannot be patient yet we are not getting treatment. Do you want to tell me that the disease is also waiting? You rush a system, push it down on us then tell us to be patient. You don’t feel what Kenyans are feeling,” says a cancer patient who was denied treatment.
According to Esther Wambui, the National Health Insurance Fund approved Sh315,000 for the aunt’s chemotherapy and 18 injections. However, now they have to pay cash since the transition interfered with everything.
“We were done with chemotherapy and had gone for three injections before the transition. Since October 1, when we went to the hospitals last week for the remaining injections, we were told to pay Sh79,000 for the fourth injection since the hospital was not working with a Social Health Authority card. We paid. And went back home,” Wambui said.
He told Nation.Africa that they have gone back to the hospital for the fifth injection which is very necessary but they are stranded since they do not have the money.
“We are hopeful they will approve the whole amount of every injection because if they do not, then my aunt’s position will worsen. We do not have money for the remaining injections,” she says.
Filgrastim injection is used to treat neutropenia (low white blood cells) that is caused by cancer medicines. Filgrastim helps the bone marrow to make new white blood cells.
When certain cancer medicines are used to fight cancer cells, they also affect the white blood cells that fight infections. Filgrastim is used to prevent or reduce the risk of infections while you are being treated with cancer medicines.
Mr Samuel Muraguri whose story was published by Nation.Africa after his sister was denied surgery in one of the hospitals in Kiambu County indicated that they are so disappointed that out of the Sh450,000 hospital bill, SHIF has approved only Sh89, 000 and this is after the story.
“What pains me is that after the story ran, they were looking for me everywhere and even calling for a meeting, we are glad that the surgery was successful but who told Kenyans that they will be chipping into their pockets to pay for services? Had it been NHIF, it would have cleared the bill,” Mr Muraguri said.
“This is like the third surgery and the rest were all cleared by NHIF. What is going to happen to Kenyans who know no one in media, they are suffering in silence. Do you want to tell us that Kenyans have to run to the media to air their grievances before they are attended to and their procedures are authorized?" he poses.
Such stories are becoming more common as families across the country struggle to cope with the uncertainty surrounding SHIF. The transition has left many without the necessary support for critical and urgent healthcare services, particularly surgeries, leaving patients and their families in a state of limbo.
Kenyan Network of Cancer Organizations (Kenco) and the Cancer Survivors Association of Kenya Cancer have demanded that the government reinstate full access to cancer services across all facilities and ensure no patient is asked to pay cash, turned away or denied care.
“Resume SHIF coverage for overseas cancer treatment for patients who cannot access specialized care locally and address disruptions in cancer care during the ongoing transition. We have several patients whose lives is at risk. An immediate action has to be taken to prevent further harm,” says a statement.
They have also called on the government to provide transparent information on the oncology packages including premium amounts, payment options, and coverage details across the cancer continuum and engage civil society in public awareness efforts.
“We need immediate action to address the critical issues cancer patients are facing during the transition. We are deeply concerned about the disruption of services that threaten the health and well-being of thousands of vulnerable cancer patients,” it states.
Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya, with 44,700 new cases and 29,300 deaths annually.
“Many cancer patients, already facing late-stage diagnoses, rely on timely access to treatment for survival. The recent transition to SHA has, unfortunately, created barriers to accessing this life-saving care. Address system failures to ensure patients are able to complete the registration process and receive timely and efficient care,” it states.
They have also called upon the government to honor all NHIF prepayments and pending pre-authorizations to guarantee continuity of treatment.
“The pressing need for a functioning healthcare system that delivers timely and affordable medical care remains a matter of life and death.
With sickness, it is not about hope but getting services that is what Kenyans want to see. Promises of a better healthcare future do not come at the cost of lives today,” said Dr Davji Atellah, Secretary General, of Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union.
He mentioned that hospitals are in business and if the system is not working and there is no way to launch their claims then they will automatically stop treatment.
“Telling Kenyans to have patience is like telling a sick patient to go and die. Let us stop joking with the life of people and know that health is a right and not a request,” Dr Atellah said adding that SHIF is bound to fail if the government do not put its house in order.
Health Medical Services Principal Secretary, Harry Kimtai mentioned that all the hospitals that were owed by NHIF will be paid by the current SHA.
