Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale today joined the leadership and staff of the Social Health Authority (SHA) in welcoming a new batch of officers. In his address, he said that the addition of fresh officers will help strengthen the work being done by the agency towards Universal Health Coverage in Kenya.
In his address during the event, Duale said that the addition of fresh officers will help strengthen the work being done by the agency towards Universal Health Coverage in Kenya. He said that SHA is the financial backbone of the country’s healthcare system. He added that a fresh team will help accelerate the provision of affordable and efficient healthcare services to the people of Kenya.
Duale told the fresh officers that they have a critical role to play in the provision of healthcare services in the country through the implementation of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) by the government. He asked them to serve the people with integrity by ensuring that they are transparent and accountable in the management of public funds.
He also cautioned that any cases of fraud or misuse of funds in the healthcare system will not be tolerated. Any staff found to be collaborating with rogue healthcare facilities will face the full force of the law.
As the new officers begin their duties in various departments across the county, the Cabinet Secretary emphasized the various priorities that the new officers will focus on. This includes improving revenue collection, increasing the number of employers, improving claims management, as well as ensuring the smooth administration of the new system to ensure that more funds are channeled to healthcare services.
In spite of the lean staff in recent times, the SHA has managed to mobilize KSh142.8 billion, as well as enroll 29.8 million Kenyans to the new system. The staff has also managed to disburse KSh109 billion to healthcare facilities. This is expected to be further improved with the new officers.
During the visit, Duale also inspected the progress of the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre to be established at the SHA headquarters. This is expected to further enhance the response to emergencies across the country.
The meeting was facilitated by the SHA management team led by the Chief Executive Officer Mercy Mwangangi and the chairperson Abdi Mohamed.
