The government has cautioned private hospitals that have declined to offer outpatient services under the Taifa Care program saying they risk revocation of their operation licenses.
Health Principal Secretly Harry Kimtai said the government will not hesitate to take stern action against such facilities that are putting the lives of Kenyans in jeopardy, over what he said, amounted to sabotage of the national medical scheme.
Speaking in Embu Town at IFAD Hall, during the handing over of new digitization devices for the ambitious Taifa Care health program, the PS accused some private hospitals of engaging in a manipulative scheme, deliberately denying outpatient services to pressure the government to pay off outstanding medical claims owed to them under the defunct NHIF.
He said the government will not be arm-twisted to give in to their demands, noting that it had already made an undertaking to settle all the claims.
“We will not succumb to pressure; private hospitals that have claims exceeding Sh10 million must provide verifiable supporting records for scrutiny,” he stated.
“Failure to do this, the government will have no other choice, but to take serious action, including suspending operations of the defiant hospitals.
If you have a license to provide healthcare services and you are not doing so, then you have no business to continue operating,” the PS warned.
Kimtai stated that the Ministry was fed up with private hospitals playing games with public health, saying such acts will not be condoned going forward.
Additionally, the PS raised eyebrows over the timing of the claims, pointing towards a deliberate move to discredit the SHA program as a failed scheme.
“Why are these hospitals demanding payment for claims dating way back to 2016 now? Why didn’t they pursue these claims earlier?” he posed.
He said the SHA program is designed to ensure that all Kenyans, whether they visit public or private hospitals can access essential medical services without financial barriers.
The PS said private hospitals must live up to their commitment to public health by offering outpatient services to all, as mandated under SHA.
Kimtai also said the digital systems are expected to bring transparency to a process that has long been clouded in mystery and manipulation.
“The government is determined to track every shilling, ensuring that it reaches the right facilities and serves the people who needed it most,” he said.
On his part, the President’s Economic Advisor for Special Programs, Moses Kuria, stressed that under the SHA program, Kenyans are entitled to receive free primary medical services at government facilities.
He said in Embu county alone, the government has already allocated Sh32 million for outpatient services, benefitting more than 24,000 people.
Of this amount, Kuria said Sh24 million was earmarked for public facilities, while Sh8 million will go to private hospitals participating in the program.
However, the Advisor to the president was also quick to point out that the amount each county receives depends on the number of registered SHA beneficiaries, noting that the government was doing its part to ensure equitable distribution of resources.
By Samuel Waititu
