Healthcare providers across Kenya have been given more time to comply with new digital health requirements after the Social Health Authority (SHA) extended the deadline for Health Management Information System (HMIS) compliance.
SHA announced on Tuesday, September 1, that healthcare providers now have until September 30, 2026, to complete the required system configuration and certification.
The extension gives hospitals and other contracted facilities an additional month after the initial deadline of September 1 passed.
SHA urged healthcare providers to use the extra time to complete the process and ensure their systems meet the required standards.
Facilities experiencing technical difficulties have also been advised to seek assistance from the Digital Health Agency (DHA) Technical Support team.
What hospitals are required to do
Under the requirements, healthcare providers contracted or seeking to work with SHA must use an HMIS that has been certified by the DHA.
The system must also be capable of connecting to the national Health Information Exchange (HIE), which allows health information to be shared electronically and securely between authorised systems.
Facilities are required to complete the relevant DHA registration and certification processes and demonstrate that their systems meet the required technical and interoperability standards.
The systems should also allow information to be securely exchanged with SHA and other parts of the national digital health infrastructure. This is expected to support electronic verification of services and processing of claims.
Patient data protection also required
Healthcare facilities have also been asked to put proper safeguards in place to protect patients’ information.
These include controlling access to health records, monitoring who accesses sensitive information and putting measures in place to secure health systems.
Facilities must also have reliable internet connectivity and adequate digital equipment to support continued communication with SHA systems and the national health information exchange.
The compliance requirements further include having proper data backup and recovery systems and resolving outstanding configuration issues before the systems are fully operational.
Failure to comply could affect contracts
The extension comes after SHA CEO Mercy Mwangangi had earlier warned healthcare providers about the consequences of failing to meet the digital requirements.
Mwangangi said contracted and prospective providers must have a DHA-certified HMIS that meets the integration requirements set by SHA and DHA.
Facilities that fail to comply risk being left out of contracting, contract renewal or continued participation in SHA-funded schemes during the 2026/28 contracting cycle.
The latest extension therefore gives providers more time to complete the process before SHA begins enforcing the requirements under the revised deadline.
