Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale revealed that the Ministry of Health has launched the Green Belt Charter to clamp down on health facilities intentionally undermining the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Speaking during an interview on Monday, January 26, Duale noted that the government would fully cater for outpatient services in primary healthcare facilities and that the charter will contain information on all services offered under SHA free of charge.
"We are putting a Green Label Charter at every Level 2, Level 3, and selected Level 4 hospitals, and the hospitals must list all procedures which are free: laboratory, diagnostics, immunization, and administering medication," he stated.
The CS stated that the Chart would have a follow-up system to ensure that no patient would be denied services that the government had already catered for under the health scheme. This would be done via sms services.
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Kenyans will be questioned on their experience during their hospital visit to check whether the correct procedure was undertaken. If any of the items on the checklist are missing, then patients can go back to the facility and demand for the same.
"The system will ask patients if they received preventive and promotive health services, and if there was a referral, was their case determined to be complicated. Before, Kenyans did not know, and using the short feedback survey, will, for example, ask why he did not receive medicine," Duale added.
Health facilities charging patients for kidney dialysis and cancer treatment because of the current outstanding bills unpaid by SHA risk severe punishment from the Ministry. In addition, he maintained that the institutions should not expect SHA to procure medicine for them, as it already clears the bills.
"They have no report of Kenyans being asked to pay, and if that is the case, those facilities will be removed from the portal of SHA. We want to ask Kenyans to file reports using our free toll number," Duale stated.
The new development came in the wake of SHA hitting a milestone of 29 million registered members. Duale took the opportunity to denounce claims by the opposition that SHA was dysfunctional and accused former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of instigating the negative publicity.
"That is politics, and it is Rigathi saying it, and in Nyeri county, where he comes from, is in position three in terms of registration. As of yesterday, 69% of Nyeri residents have registered with SHA," Duale noted.
The CS ruled out any possibility of returning to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), stating that at 29 million registered members, nearly half of the Kenyan population is onboarded to the new system.
