The government is set to constitute a committee to address challenges facing Kenyans while accessing services from the Social Health Authority (SHA), Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muriuki has said.
Ms. Muriuki acknowledged that although the government had made significant headway in rolling out SHA, it is also grappling with a few challenges bedevilling the full implementation of the medical scheme.
According to the PS, the special committees will, among other issues, address the benefit package, which she noted has elicited sharp criticism from Kenyans who are calling for a review to align the benefits to the deductions being remitted to the scheme.
“We have challenges with SHA. This is a project where we have gotten 100 per cent, but it doesn’t mean that the government is sitting pretty and moving on. We are fixing the issues so that we lower the voices of those who are saying SHA is paying very little of the medical bills,” she said.
The PS spoke in Othaya, Nyeri, during the launch of a three-day’ medical camp which was organised by the Chinga Member of County Assembly, Kiruga Thuku, in collaboration with the Chronic Disease Society Africa and the County Government of Nyeri.
During the medical camp, residents of Chinga benefitted from free cancer awareness and screening as well as screening for noncommunicable diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, and hypertension.
The medical camp also provided an opportunity for the Community Health Promoters to offer training and register the participants to SHA with the PS, noting that so far more than 18.2 million Kenyans have been enlisted.
She said that in addition to the enhanced packages, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) will provide additional services that were not previously covered under the National Health Insurance Fund.
“We have enhanced the packages to ensure they have more funds to cover areas that no insurance cover used to cater for, such as optics and dental. You may complain that the money is little, but it was not there before,” she stated.
At the same time, the PS also cautioned elected leaders from politicising the medical scheme and challenged them to use their capacity as leaders to encourage Kenyans to register and start enjoying the enhanced medical cover.
“As leaders we must never politicise health. We must also distance ourselves from anything that will jeopardise a programme that is helping the people. We should tell the people that if they register for SHA, there is a guarantee that if they follow the correct referral system and visit the right medical facility, they will receive treatment,” stated the PS.
By Wangari Mwangi