Kenya, March 5 -- The Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) in Kenya may face serious problems in the next year if things stay the same. The Kenya Association of Private Hospitals says the way the fund is currently supported is not working well.

They mention that only 22% of the 20 million Kenyans who are signed up with the fund are actually paying their contributions.

During a meeting with the National Assembly Committee on Health, Erick Musau, who leads private hospitals in Kenya, told lawmakers that very few registered Kenyans are paying their health insurance.

He pointed out that mostly employed Kenyans are paying their health premiums, while only 7% of those who are self-employed pay, and they only do so when they need medical help.

Musau expressed concern, saying, "We don't think enough measures are in place to make sure people keep paying for this fund and don't just pay when they need to use it. If this keeps happening, we don't believe this fund can last beyond the next year."

Kanyenje Gakombe, who is the Chairperson of the Kenya Healthcare Federation, said there needs to be a way to make sure that self-employed Kenyans also pay their share so that the fund can work properly.

Gakombe defended private and faith-based hospitals for stopping patient admissions under the fund, saying that many hospitals can't handle the costs any longer.

"We want health insurance to be successful. Stopping our services shows how desperate we are. We want to help Kenyans, but we need funding to do so," he explained.

Gakombe also said, "We must create a law to make sure that self-employed people pay their premiums too. We need a way to collect money for health care. We can't just let individuals decide whether to pay or not because that won't work."

Dr. Brian Lishenga from the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) supported Gakombe's points.

He told the lawmakers that smaller hospitals, which are levels 2, 3, and 4, are the most affected. These hospitals depend on primary health care, which is meant to be funded by the government.

Lishenga informed the lawmakers that the fund needs Ksh. 8 billion in the next year, but only Ksh. 4 billion has been allocated for this financial year.

He added, "SHIF only pays for level 4, 5, and 6 hospitals, which make up only 9% of health facilities in Kenya.

The other 91% are not getting paid, and the last payment was received in November. That's where most Kenyans go for care, and they are facing negative experiences."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.