Kindiki: Blame withdrawn Finance Bill for budget constraints in health
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki holds a newborn during an inspection of Kenyatta National Hospital on January 8, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Deputy President says SHA transition from NHIF has not been entirely smooth but that the government is addressing the challenges.
Deputy President Kindiki Kithure Wednesday said the quashed Finance Bill, 2024 is to blame for the budget constraints in various sectors.
During a tour of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), where he assessed the feasibility of the Social Health Authority (SHA), Prof Kindiki said failure of the Bill crippled plans under SHA.
He said the amount in state coffers may not be adequate, adding that the government is looking at ways of adding more money to SHA through supplementary budgets.
“Even with the shortfall, we will go out of our way to continuously adjust the budget and ensure primary health care is not left out,” said Prof Kindiki.
In a press briefing shortly after his two-hour visit, the DP said patients and healthcare workers at KNH are happy with the Taifa Care that is under SHA.
“I have been informed by patients that getting services is fast. Approvals for bills are in record time,” he said.
The DP added that while SHA was rolled out three months ago, the numbers are picking up but many Kenyans remain unregistered.
“We urge Kenyans to register with SHA as it has good packages,” Prof Kindiki said.
While he added that Taifa Care is a great deal for people with critical illnesses, Medical Services PS Harry Kimtai told the Nation in December that the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund was put on hold because it was linked to the Finance Bill, 2024.
The PS said implementing the Fund would begin when alternative resources are sought by the government.
Prof Kindiki said the SHA transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has not been entirely smooth, citing administrative challenges.
“Some of the problems are related to documentations and technology. We are addressing these hiccups,” he said.
He added that the government would ensure universal health coverage.
“We will succeed as we have learnt from the two attempts by previous governments. We know the administrative and legal constraints that made them fail,” the DP added.
He said top government officials would tour other hospitals of different levels to assess their challenges.
“We take positively feedback on the challenges. The government is working to address the bottlenecks identified,” he said.
A report by the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) that was released last week shows more than half of its members have not received claims in the last three months. Only 42 per cent of hospitals got paid in the period.
RUPHA chairperson, Brian Lishenga, said most of the hospitals affiliated to the association are still owed huge amounts by NHIF that the government pledged to settle by last month.
It says 90 per cent of its hospitals are in financial distress, mostly inclined to operational costs, payroll expenses and supplier payments while some are almost being auctioned due to debt.
