By: Mwalimu Muthisya

Healthcare is one of the pillars that hold any government’s legitimacy, and providing citizens with access to affordable and quality healthcare is paramount.

The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) was initially established with the noble aim of ensuring that Kenyans could access healthcare without financial strain.

However, over time, NHIF has become synonymous with corruption and inefficiency, accumulating debts exceeding KES 30 billion despite citizens diligently paying their monthly contributions.

One of the key issues that contributed to the downfall of the NHIF was its partnership with private medical facilities. While the original intent was to provide quality healthcare, the collaboration between unscrupulous private healthcare providers and corrupt NHIF officials turned the system into a cash cow for a few.

Some private hospitals even claimed to provide more advanced services than renowned public institutions like Kenyatta National Hospital, while submitting fraudulent invoices to siphon funds from the NHIF.

This malpractice undermined the very essence of the NHIF’s establishment, as it became a breeding ground for corruption rather than a mechanism for effective healthcare provision.

In light of these shortcomings, the current administration made a bold move by phasing out the NHIF and introducing the Social Health Assurance (SHA).

Unlike its predecessor, SHA aims to provide universal healthcare coverage with simplicity and transparency. The SHA system only requires Kenyans to register as members, along with their dependents, ensuring prompt healthcare coverage without the cumbersome processes that plagued the NHIF.

Early feedback from Kenyans whose medical bills have been covered by the SHA provides encouraging signs that the system is indeed working.

However, the implementation of SHA has faced strong opposition, particularly from former beneficiaries of the NHIF and a few self-proclaimed opposition leaders.

These individuals have launched aggressive propaganda and misinformation campaigns, aiming to discredit the SHA and undermine the government’s efforts toward achieving universal health coverage.

My own experiences with both private and public healthcare facilities have shown me firsthand how SHA is benefiting the common citizen. It’s clear that SHA is designed with the best interests of Kenyans in mind.

The negative narrative surrounding it is primarily driven by those with vested interests in the previous system’s failure.

For SHA to gain full acceptance among Kenyans, the government must invest in outreach programs, sending teams to engage both private and public healthcare providers.

This would include speaking directly with healthcare professionals such as nurses, doctors, clinical officers, and pharmacists, to assess the practicality and effectiveness of SHA from a grassroots level.

Gathering this feedback would provide a more transparent picture of the system’s success, and help address any concerns or misunderstandings.

The introduction of SHA represents a critical step toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Kenya. While it faces opposition from those who benefited from the NHIF’s systemic failures, it is clear that SHA offers a more sustainable, efficient, and equitable solution to Kenya’s healthcare challenges.

It’s time for Kenyans to embrace this progressive move, support the government’s initiative, and ensure that healthcare becomes a right, not a privilege, for all.

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