James Mbugua Kinyanjui, an elderly patient from Embu attending a radiotherapy session for oesophageal cancer had not been seen by 5pm yesterday despite arriving at the Kenyatta National Hospital’s (KNH) Cancer Treatment Centre at 7am.

At this centre, there is only one machine, which serves close to 200 patients, prolonging their pain. Kinyanjui was not sure what time he would be seen.

“There are more patients than the machines. It would be better if the government got more machines,” he told journalists at the centre as Health Cabinet Secretary, Dr Deborah Barasa, visited.

When asked about the Social Health Insurance Fund, Kinyanjui gives his own testimony of challenges.

“Unlike the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) system, where I only needed a card to be served, in this new system patients spend a lot of time being asked to go from one office to another,” he said.

On cost, Kinyanjui said that whereas SHIF covers many other diseases, it pays Sh20,000 for radiotherapy, and he co-pays Sh8,000, a situation the Ministry of Health admitted is challenging.

Migrating problems

When asked, the CS and her technical team led by Director General of Health, Dr Patrick Amoth said that most of the patients who are asked for co-payment are those who were in the NHIF system but have not migrated their data to the SHA (Social Health Authority) platform.

Another patient, Mary Kimuyu, explained that SHIF pays for some services and a patient takes care of the rest.

While on a tour of the KNH to assess how SHIF is being implemented, Dr Barasa admitted that there is a huge health burden in the country, and promised to review the existing policies in order to address the problem.

“We’ve been able to see some challenges which we will be addressing. First of all are the equipment,” the CS told journalists.

The CS said she will issue a policy direction soon, to ensure that the East African Kidney Institute will be able to give 10 dialysis machines to KNH so that patients can undergo seamless dialysis at the facility, under a renewed Managed Equipment Services (MES) programme with county governors.

The CS however, exuded confidence the SHIF roll-out is showing signs of success.

“First of all, we visited the renal unit where we have seen patients who are undergoing dialysis and even seen another one who has successfully undergone transplant, under this programme,” Barasa said.

Co-payment

She said the implementation is going on at screening level with the community health promoters, picking out conditions like diabetes, hypertension and at this level of care.

 “We have also visited a patient who has undergone a transplant under the social health authority being the first successful patient in Kenyatta National Hospital. He’s on day five after the operation and he’s doing very well,” she added.

Dr Amoth called on Kenyans to register and urged that where there are challenges they should be brought up so that the ministry can be able to collectively address them. He added that the ministry will address the issue of co-payment.

“We are going to take a policy direction in terms of our discussions with the management of SHA ,” he said.