The government has pronounced itself on why the Social Heath Authority (SHA) payments will not be made through the digital portal eCitizen or the government Paybill.
Through a post on his X platform, the Director of Public Communication at Statehouse, Gerald Bitok stated that the contributions cannot be made through the government platforms due to the critical nature of health financing.
“The reason why SHA payments are not being paid through the National Gov consolidated 222222 Paybill payment gateway, is because of how critical health financing is,” said Bitok
He went on to explain that SHA members contribution will be collected directly from members to ensure there are always funds ready to pay service providers.
Collecting funds directly ensures availability of funds
“By collecting the members contribution directly into the Social Health Authority, it ensures there is always ready funds to pay service providers outside the often-long processes of the national consolidated fund allocations,” added Bitok.
Also Read: Govt Reveals Fate of 1,700 NHIF Workers After Move to SHA
Bitok faulted the previous health insurance scheme – National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) – saying that the new SHA endeavors to solve funding problems that thronged NHIF rendering it defunct.
“The goal is to forestall the funding problems we are experiencing at the moment inherited from the defunct NHIF which have time and again threatened to stall Healthcare service provision to Kenyans by ensuring prompt and timely healthcare financing,” said Bitok.
SHA can’t depend on government allocations
Bitok further clarified that SHA cannot solely depend on government allocations for funding as it has monthly financial obligations that must be met.
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“Unlike other government agencies that can survive on annual allocations, @shakenya has monthly offset obligations that must be handled promptly to guarantee service,” added Bitok.
The Social Health Authority was established under the Social Health Insurance Act 2023. The authority is mandated to manage three healthcare funds including the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), the Primary Healthcare Fund (PHF) and the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIL).
President William Ruto directed that all payments for government services be paid through the eCitizen platform to streamline revenue collection.
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