Kenyans who need specialised treatment outside the country will now have more options after the Social Health Authority (SHA) approved eight foreign hospitals under its overseas care package.
SHA Chief Executive Officer Mercy Mwangangi announced the list while addressing the Senate, saying the benefit will take effect next week.
The approved facilities are Manipal Hospitals, Acibadem Group, Medical Point Izmir Hospital, Yatharth Hospital, Sitecare Hospital, KIMS Hospital, Sarvodaya Hospital and SAGE Group.
Mwangangi said more hospitals are still being considered as applications continue to come in. She noted that some facilities are currently being trained on how to use the SHA system to submit and process claims.
She also explained how the referral process will work.
According to the CEO, a patient must first be examined at a recognised health facility in Kenya. If the attending doctor determines that the required treatment is not available locally, the doctor will issue a formal referral to one of the approved hospitals abroad.
The referral documents will then be submitted to SHA. The selected foreign hospital will log the admission request into the SHA system, after which the authority will confirm whether the patient is an active and up-to-date member before giving approval.
Once clearance is granted, the patient can travel and receive treatment.
After treatment, the hospital abroad will send a discharge summary and submit its claim to SHA for payment, within a cover limit of Sh500,000.
Patients will also be required to report back to a designated local facility for follow-up care once they return to Kenya.
The move is expected to ease the burden for families forced to raise funds for specialised treatment abroad, although the Sh500,000 limit means patients may still have to top up depending on the cost of care.
