Ministry of Health wants Treasury to deduct health workers’ dues directly to fix access delays

The Ministry of Health now wants the National Treasury to deduct Social Health Authority (SHA) contributions directly from salaries, citing a crisis where medical workers are denied treatment due to delayed remittances by national and county governments.

The move follows outrage from doctors who say they are unable to access services despite monthly deductions.

Speaking during an Annual Scientific Conference at Pride Inn Paradise in Shanzu, Mombasa, Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials decried the growing number of frontline medical workers being turned away from hospitals, even though SHA deductions appear on their payslips.

They blamed counties for failing to remit the funds on time, leaving healthcare workers stranded when they fall ill.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, who addressed the forum, described the situation as both “immoral and unacceptable” and said he would formally present a proposal to the National Treasury to have SHA contributions deducted at source.

“It is immoral and unacceptable that those who deliver care cannot access the same care when they need it. It’s not SHA that locks you out, it’s the system,” Duale said.

“I will take the proposal that SHA contributions be deducted at source, both at the national and county levels, to the National Treasury. We cannot build a successful UHC model without safeguarding the welfare of healthcare professionals.”

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir supported the move, calling it common sense.

“From the employer, that’s a recipe for chaos. Doctors should not suffer due to bureaucratic lapses,” Abdulswamad said.

The forum, organised by KMPDU, also heard about a string of systemic failures across the health sector, ranging from underfunding and delayed salaries to limited training opportunities and severe staff shortages.

KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah announced that the union had declared 18 strikes across the country but would delay them for two weeks to allow for talks with the national and county governments.

“We’ve declared 18 strikes across the country, but in the spirit of dialogue, we’re giving talks a chance. We want solutions, not patchwork responses,” Atellah said, citing deteriorating conditions in counties like Kakamega, Marsabit, Laikipia, Lamu and Trans Nzoia.

Devolution

He warned that the devolution of healthcare was contributing to unrest among medical professionals.

“We’re not opposed to devolution, but governors must stop interfering with doctors’ salaries. Let them manage human resources, but salaries must be protected,” he said.

Other Topics To Read

• Health
• Social Health Authority
• Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) scheme
• healthcare workers
• healthcare Kenya
• healthcare devolution
• Ministry of Health wants Treasury to deduct health workers’ dues directly to fix access delays
• Headlines

Atellah also called for increased support for postgraduate training, noting that a lack of funding from counties was stalling doctors’ professional growth.

“In the past, we were employed automatically after graduation. Today, we have unemployed doctors while hospitals remain understaffed. That’s a contradiction that must be addressed,” he said.

He accused the government of forcing health workers to act as debt collectors, saying deductions were made but never remitted.

“We had NHIF, and it worked. SHA, as it is now, has killed comprehensive cover. Who cares for the caregivers? We must have a scheme that makes sense,” Atellah said.

Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni admitted there were gaps in staffing and training and promised reforms, including the standardisation of accreditation and updates to training curricula.

“We’re reviewing scopes of practice, standardising accreditation, and aligning training curricula to ensure competency and confidence among our health workforce,” she said.

CS Duale raised concerns over the mushrooming of private training institutions, warning that the sector must not be commercialised at the expense of quality.

“You cannot commercialise the training of doctors. We must regulate institutions to ensure they’re equipped to train professionals to a standard,” he said.

He revealed that the ministry had paid Sh1.75 billion in basic salary arrears and would settle the remainder by the end of the current financial year. Tuition had also been disbursed for 54 postgraduate students, with sponsorship for another 39 underway.

Duale promised a multi-stakeholder forum to audit training institutions and streamline the internship deployment process, noting that the current system had revealed “a broken pipeline.”

“Internship is a rigorous process. We have no problem paying, but we must have a plan,” he said.

He also announced the imminent absorption of 135 medical interns and 503 pharmacy interns.

“Healthcare delivery is about dignity. Doctors are trained to serve Kenyans, and they must be empowered to do so,” he said.

To address emerging fraud in the SHA system, Duale said the Digital Health Agency was building a track-and-trace mechanism to seal loopholes and ensure accountability.

“We’ve received reports of pre-authorisation codes being misused. Some facilities claim surgeries were done by doctors who were never there. That’s criminal. We must run this sector with integrity—no shortcuts,” he said.

Promising to restore trust in the health sector, he added: “Afya House will never again be called Mafia House. I’m not a doctor, but I’m here to drive policy, rebuild trust, and work for Kenya’s healthcare workers and patients.”

He further revealed that 774,590 more Kenyans had enrolled in SHA in the past month, pushing the total registration to 22,165,249, up from 21,390,659.