Health ministry calls for public input on new Social Health Insurance benefits package

The Ministry of Health has invited the public to participate in reviewing the new Social Health Insurance benefits package through a public engagement session. This review will be held on Friday, August 30, 2024, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), starting at 9 am.

Dr Deborah Barasa, Health Cabinet Secretary, stressed the need for public participation in validating the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).

“Having undertaken public participation and stakeholder engagement and incorporated feedback from the Public and Stakeholders, the Cabinet Secretary and the Board of the Social Health Authority shall hold a National Validation Exercise on the Tariffs to the Benefit Package," a notice by Barasa reads.

The new benefits package designed to replace the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), was developed by the former Cabinet Secretary for Health Susan Nakhumicha in partnership with the Social Health Authority Board. This initiative follows the enactment of the Social Health Insurance Act No. 16 of 2023 on October 19, 2023.

The Social Health Insurance Fund, which began mass registration of Kenyans on July 1, 2024, aims to address the limitations of the NHIF and introduce additional services. As of August 14, over 500,000 Kenyans had registered, according to Timothy Olweny, Chairman of the Social Health Authority.

Olweny emphasises that the new fund will offer improved services compared to the NHIF and assures that the transition will be smooth. He expects the fund to be completely operational by October 1, 2024, despite ongoing legal hurdles. Preparations are underway to ensure a successful launch.

Last month, the Ministry of Health requested MPs to allocate Sh100 million for a new round of public participation regarding the Social Health Insurance and other Universal Health Coverage (UHC) laws recently declared unconstitutional by the courts.

Medical Services PS Harry Kimtai appealed to the National Assembly Health Committee to consider this funding in the first supplementary estimates currently before the MPs. He highlighted that the Sh100 million is needed to conduct comprehensive public and stakeholder engagement as required by the court's recent ruling.

The High Court had nullified the Social Health Insurance Act of 2023, which aimed to replace the National Health Insurance Fund, due to insufficient public involvement. Along with this, the court also invalidated the Primary Healthcare Act of 2023 and the Digital Health Act of 2023.

The three-judge panel Justices Alfred Mabeya, Robert Limo, and Fredrick Mugambi have given Parliament 120 days to make the necessary amendments, during which the laws will remain suspended. The ruling highlighted concerns about the restriction of certain rights under these Acts, which are central to President William Ruto’s health policy initiatives.