SHA to Roll Out Tool to Block Harmful Drug Prescriptions

The Social Health Authority (SHA) has announced plans to launch a digital tool that will block harmful prescriptions from being issued to patients.

In an interview on Tuesday, September 16, SHA CEO Mercy Mwangangi explained that the system will automatically reject dangerous prescriptions before they reach patients.

"We want to introduce a Clinical Decision Support tool that will ensure that your doctor does not give you a prescription that would cause harm. The system will auto reject it," she said.

Meanwhile, Mwangangi highlighted the mandate of SHA, noting that its establishment and structure were designed to improve access to healthcare and enhance efficiency in the sector.

"SHA is working. SHA is an authority and it has three funds within it. One of the pivotal things that the government did was to set up three funds within one. There was a need for us to invest in primary health care services for all Kenyans. 

"SHA has made an investment in primary health care services. Since the inception of SHA in October to date, we’ve been able to pay out close to Ksh8 billion," she stated.

Mwangangi also revealed the scale of registration under SHA, noting the strong uptake of the contributory fund among both formal and informal sector workers.

"26 million Kenyans have registered to SHA. We have about 890,000 contributors in the informal sector and 4 million salaried contributors. That means about 4.8 million Kenyans are paying into the contributory fund," she further said.

This comes a week after Mwangangi announced that Kenya will soon have its own version of the '911' emergency response system, with the official launch set for the end of October.

Speaking on Tuesday, September 9, the Social Health Authority (SHA) CEO Mercy Mwangangi confirmed that President William Ruto will unveil the service.

Mwangangi explained that the new system will transform emergency healthcare by ensuring that help is just a phone call away.

"By the end of October, President Ruto will be launching ambulance services. When you watch TV you hear about 911, Kenya is about to get its own 911 by the end of October.

"This means that as a Kenyan, wherever you are, you will be able to dial that number and an ambulance will be sent to you," she said.

Mwangangi added that the service will be free for all Kenyans, with SHA taking responsibility for the full cost of the emergency response.

"We will not pay for the ambulance; SHA will cover the cost of Ksh4,500," she added.