The government has officially phased out the use of one-time passwords (OTP) for patient verification under the Social Health Authority (SHA), replacing it with a new biometric registration system aimed at sealing fraud loopholes in the public health sector.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Monday announced that beginning today, all SHA approvals will be processed either through biometric health IDs or via the newly launched Practice 360 app.
Speaking at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH), Duale said the new system marks a turning point in how healthcare services will be accessed and managed across the country.
“From now on, patients don’t need to carry physical documents to health facilities. Their biometric data will provide access to all necessary details,” Duale said during the launch.
Biometric registration is now live in all Level 4, 5, and 6 hospitals nationwide, with ongoing plans to roll it out in Level 2 and 3 facilities in the coming weeks. The Practice 360 app, which is now active, is geo-tagged to healthcare professionals’ designated workstations, allowing them to manage patient services in real-time.
“Health workers can now view, approve, and manage pre-authorisations and claims directly through the app,” the CS added.
The ministry has also rolled out a National Product Catalogue to combat counterfeit drugs in healthcare facilities, and introduced a Health Information Exchange (HIE) to enable secure sharing of patient records between facilities.
Duale said the goal is to digitize healthcare operations, reduce bureaucratic delays, and shift the focus back to timely patient care.
“This biometric system will help us eliminate fraud and misuse of benefits. It will also reduce paperwork, shorten queues, and ensure more time is spent on treating patients,” he said.
So far, more than 25 million Kenyans have registered under the new national health insurance programme. Over 10,000 facilities including public, private, and faith-based institutions have been contracted to provide services under SHA.
To tighten oversight, Duale warned that SHA will no longer reimburse facilities for drugs not issued to patients. He further cautioned pharmaceutical suppliers that failure to upload certified product data within 30 days will lead to deregistration from the system.
“This digital superhighway is the backbone of a transparent, efficient, and patient-centred health system,” Duale said.