Ministry of Health cracks down on bed sharing in public hospitals, labels it fraud
Health CS Aden Duale warned that hospitals admitting patients beyond their licensed bed capacity will be held accountable. He stated that any claims involving shared beds will now be treated as insurance fraud.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has directed all public hospitals to stop bed-sharing, with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale describing it as a violation of patient dignity and a misuse of public resources.
Speaking in Mombasa, CS Duale warned that hospitals admitting patients beyond their licensed bed capacity will be held accountable. He stated that claims involving shared beds will now be treated as insurance fraud.
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“If facilities wish to admit more patients, they must invest in expanding their infrastructure,” said Duale.“Bed sharing will now be treated as insurance fraud, and institutions involved will be held accountable.”
To enforce the directive, MoH has instructed the Social Health Authority (SHA) to vet all hospital claims strictly based on licensed bed capacity. Any claim involving patients who were sharing beds will be treated as fraudulent.
“SHA will only process claims based on licensed bed capacity,” he said. “Any attempt to claim insurance for shared beds will be considered fraudulent.”
The directive is part of ongoing reforms under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda, aimed at improving healthcare standards, promoting accountability, and ensuring respect for patients’ rights.
Duale emphasised that facilities must operate within their approved capacity and that any institution wishing to admit more patients must expand its infrastructure accordingly.
"There's no way Kenyans will sleep on the floor, and two other Kenyans sleeping on one bed that will not happen under my watch!"
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