KENYA – The Kenyan government has delayed the rollout of the much-anticipated Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) to October 1, 2024, citing challenges with the digital platform designed to support contributions and registration.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha announced that the existing National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) will continue to operate until the transition to the new Social Health Authority (SHIF) is complete.
The postponement follows delays and cancellations of key activities scheduled in the last two weeks, including a national validation exercise and the launch of SHIF registration.
Nakhumicha attributed the delay to the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024, which sought to finance the Primary Healthcare Fund and the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund and set aside funds for indigents and vulnerable persons.
“In light of the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024, which sought to finance the Primary Healthcare Fund and the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund and set aside funds for indigents and vulnerable persons, the ministry is reworking to align with this reality.
‘’Therefore, the existing NHIF contributions and benefits will continue until we roll over to SHIF,” Nakhumicha said at a press briefing.
The ministry published the proposed SHIF benefits package two weeks ago and asked Kenyans for their views before it was gazetted. According to the law, SHIF benefits should have begun on July 1, 2024.
Nakhumicha explained that the delay was also due to the new ICT system supporting the new health regime, which had been tested several times but still needed to be prepared. The verification of assets owned by the NHIF needed to be completed.
“The ICT SHIF system was piloted in Marsabit. Dry runs revealed that the new system was not ready and challenges are being addressed and a second repeat dry run that encompasses proxy mean testing may be done thereafter,” the team managing the transition from NHIF to SHIF said in a meeting on Friday last week.
Section 47 of the Social Health Insurance Fund requires digitization and processes using secure, interoperable, verifiable, and responsive technology through an information system.
The system supports member registration, identification, contributions to the Fund, facility empanelment, contract execution, notification and pre-authorization, claims management, and claim settlement.
The postponement of the SHIF rollout follows delays and cancellations of key activities that should have happened in the last two weeks, including a national validation exercise and the launch of SHIF registration.
Nakhumicha announced that registration for the new system will begin on July 1, 2024, and will be conducted countrywide through self-registration, assisted registration by Community Health Promoters, and visiting NHIF offices and other designated registration points.
The SHIF Act was enacted on October 19 last year and came into operation on November 22, 2023, giving 12 months to wind up the NHIF.
However, the continued use of NHIF systems past July 1, 2024, will have financial implications, as the licenses and contracts for the NHIF system need to be renewed.
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