Africa-Press – Kenya. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has disclosed that so far, the government has disbursed Sh59.3 billion to health facilities across the country under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
In a statement during the 28th Ordinary Session of Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council held at the Official Residence of the Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in Karen, Nairobi, Duale said private healthcare providers were paid Sh29.8 billion.
He went on to state that county facilities received Sh13.7 billion, faith-based health institutions Sh9.9 billion, while national referral hospitals received Sh5.9 billion.
“Claims and disbursements continue to increase,” Duale said.
“To date, 3.6 million Kenyans have accessed free primary care, while 2.1 million have benefitted from advanced treatment such as dialysis and cancer care.”
The Cabinet Secretary noted that the Social Health Authority (SHA) has made impressive progress with over 26.5 million Kenyans registered, as of Monday.
“Counties leading in registration include Mombasa (70.5%), Bomet (62.6%), Kirinyaga (61.4%), Elgeyo Marakwet (60.5%), and Nyeri (60.3%). On the other hand, Garissa, Turkana, Isiolo, Marsabit, and West Pokot remain below 25%, highlighting the need for intensified support and coordination,” he stated.
He added that Sh70 billion has also been mobilized, and at least 4.4 million Kenyans are actively contributing towards their healthcare. “Services are being accessed from over 10,000 healthcare providers and facilities.
“Over 17.5 million healthcare visits have been recorded under SHA—benefiting 7.1 million unique patients. Of these, 5 million visits were supported through SHIF and ECCIF, while 12.5 million individuals received services under the Primary Health Care (PHC) benefits,” Duale said.
The CS said Taifa Care is currently transitioning from policy to implementation, and its success relies on sustained collaboration with counties. He said this way, the government is creating a resilient, equitable, and digitally enabled health system that will make Universal Health Coverage a reality.
“We urge counties to ensure quality service provision, premium compliance, contract eligible providers, and submit quality claims to sustain the reform momentum.”
In the Progress report of the Taifa Care rollout, he said that at the facility level, 24 counties are implementing the Taifa Care Hospital Management Information System. He added that already, 937 out of 3,386 facilities are paperless and over 23,700 tablets have been deployed to health workers.
Duale said that under the Primary Health Care (PHC) benefit, Sh10 billion has been disbursed, with 56% of the disbursements to county facilities, 36% to private and 7% to faith-based providers.
He further noted that SHA’s Provider Portal and Claims System have improved transparency and efficiency. “A new ERP system will soon digitize all SHA operations.”
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