Committee Offers to Broker Truce Between Private Hospitals and Government Over Unpaid SHA Claims

 

Hon Mary Maingi member of the Committee

A parliamentary committee has stepped in to mediate a dispute between the government and private healthcare providers over unpaid Social Health Authority (SHA) insurance claims.

 The National Assembly Health Committee that is chaired by Hon Robert Pukose (Endebess) has committed to engage senior officials from the Ministry of Health and the National Treasury to seek a resolution to the crisis.

The committee’s Vice Chairperson, Hon. Patrick Munene (Chuka/Igambang'ombe), announced the decision during a meeting with representatives from the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) and the Kenya Association of Private Hospitals (KAPH).

Last week, RUPHA and KAPH, which collectively represent over 1,000 private healthcare facilities, declared an indefinite suspension of services under the SHA scheme. 

The organizations cited unpaid claims amounting to Ksh30 billion and an unsustainable reimbursement model as reasons for their action.

RUPHA, which also represents faith-based hospitals, emphasized that the government’s failure to settle the arrears and address operational inefficiencies had made it impossible for them to continue offering services under the SHA scheme.

During today’s session, committee members, led by Hon. Munene, acknowledged the financial strain on hospitals due to the outstanding payments but expressed optimism that a solution could be reached.

"Kenyans are suffering because of the suspension of SHA services by private hospitals. As a committee, we will meet the Ministry of Health and demand a clear roadmap for settling the pending claims," said Hon. Munene.

"At the meeting, we also want National Treasury officials present so they can provide a firm commitment on when and how the funds owed to hospitals will be disbursed," he added.

The meeting also brought together representatives from the Kenya Healthcare Federation and the Rural Private Hospitals Association. Additionally, officials from the faith-based Health Services Consortium—comprising the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), CHAK, and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM)—were in attendance.

In a joint submission to the committee, the healthcare stakeholders highlighted several challenges affecting the rollout of the new health system. They appealed for a transparent and equitable health financing model to enable hospitals to continue delivering quality healthcare services to Kenyans.

"To restore confidence in the national health financing system, decisive policy interventions are required," the group said in a joint statement.

"Addressing reimbursement delays, governance gaps, and operational inefficiencies must be prioritized to ensure a sustainable, equitable, and effective healthcare system," they added.

The committee directed the stakeholders to compile a unified document outlining the key challenges they face under the SHA system. Hon. Munene assured them that their concerns would be deliberated on in an upcoming meeting with ministry officials.

March 04, 2025