Every day, thousands of Kenyans undergo dialysis – a painful, time-consuming, and life-sustaining procedure that stands between them and premature death. Yet, despite the critical nature of this treatment, the Social Health Authority (SHA) continues to reimburse dialysis at a woefully inadequate rate of Sh10,500 per session.

This rate, unchanged for years, does not reflect the current cost of quality dialysis care in Kenya. Already, the Kenya Renal Association has raised the red flag and wants the government and SHA to increase this reimbursement to at least Sh25,000 per session. Anything less is a betrayal of patients’ right to life and dignity.

Dialysis is not optional for patients with kidney failure who are yet to undergo transplant—it is a matter of life or death. Yet, under the current reimbursement regime, patients are often subjected to substandard care. Financially strained clinics are forced to cut corners, reusing dialysis filters, compromising on hygiene standards, and using under-qualified staff to stretch limited resources.

According to KRA, many facilities are providing substandard dialysis to their patients, with experts warning that this poses major risks to patients’ lives. Some facilities ask patients to make additional payments to the Sh10,500 provided by SHA to receive adequate dialysis in accordance with established local and international standards.

These shortcuts translate into dangerous complications –  infections, poor fluid management, and even deaths.

At Sh10,500, providers cannot afford the consumables, skilled personnel, and technology required for safe and effective dialysis. What patients receive is not healthcare; it is a dangerously diluted version of it. In trying to “save costs”, we are ironically driving up long-term health expenditures due to complications and hospital readmissions.

For thousands of Kenyans battling kidney failure, dialysis is not a luxury – it is a life-saving necessity that should not be given in doses, as it is apparently being done.

Relying on charity or family crowdfunding to top up the cost of every dialysis session is unsustainable.

It places an unbearable financial and emotional burden on patients and their families. Wealthier patients can pay the difference for quality care, but poor Kenyans – the majority – are left behind. Are we saying that the right to life is only reserved for those who can afford it?ype / to choose a block