The National Health Facility Census (2023) has revealed that 40 percent of all facilities in the country are accredited by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) with accreditation highest in government level 2 facilities at 57 percent.
Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakhumicha said that NHIF accreditation varied across the counties with only 10 Counties having more than half of their facilities accredited, while 12 counties had less than 25% of their health facilities accredited.
“There is an urgent need to accredit health facilities with NHIF, especially primary health facilities,” said Nakhumicha.
Speaking on Thursday at Afya House while officially launching the Kenya Health Facility Census report of 2023, the CS said that the census targeted 14,366 health facilities and 14,883 facilities across all counties were fully assessed translating to 104 percent coverage.
“Public, private, faith-based/non-governmental organizations health facilities accounted for 47 percent, 46 percent and 8 percent of the assessed health facilities respectively. All Level 6 facilities were government owned while most of Level 4 (49 percent) and Level 5 (44 percent) were privately owned,” said the CS.
Nakhumicha disclosed that the census was undertaken in the month of August 2023. The Facility Census 2023 aimed at providing baseline information on service availability, readiness of health facilities to deliver services, availability of human resources and health infrastructure across all health facilities and in turn provide a framework to inform investments to address critical gaps in health service availability and readiness.
“The Kenya government has committed to the implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through Primary Health Care as one of the priority agenda. Determining the level of availability and readiness of health facilities to offer services, as well as the quality of care across the sector is paramount in planning for UHC implementation,” said the CS.
“Our attention as a Ministry is drawn to the recent remarks by the Rural Private Health Facilities Association (RUPHA) concerning the delayed payments of claims,” she further said.
She explained that NHIF has contracted 8,000 hospitals and 80 percent of these are Comprehensive. On average NHIF processes over 4,000 transactions per month and pays out an average of Sh.3 billion per month.
“We appreciate the understanding and patience of all parties involved during this challenging period. Rest assured, we are actively addressing the concerns raised and remain committed to ensure services remain uninterrupted. Sh.3 billion will be paid before the end of the year,” said the CS.
As we head into the festive season, the CS called on all Kenyans to prioritize their health and safety by driving safely on the roads, and celebrate healthily with their loved ones.
“Let us make healthy choices in our celebrations, choosing nutritious meals and engaging in physical activities. I encourage all of us to maintain proper hygiene, sanitation and responsible waste disposal as we gather to celebrate. These practices are our strongest defence and will ensure that we can all celebrate many more festive seasons together,” said the CS.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
