Murang'a to get Sh207m from SHA for county hospitals

Murang'a County Referral Hospital in Murang'a Town/ ALICE WAITHERA

The Murang’a county government will receive a significant portion of overdue reimbursements owed to its public health facilities after fresh negotiations with the Social Health Authority.

This follows a meeting between Governor Irungu Kang’ata and SHA chief executive officer Mercy Mwangangi on Thursday, reviewing outstanding claims for medical services already provided to insured patients in the county.

Under the agreement, SHA will release Sh47 million by January 14, as part of a phased settlement of arrears.

The authority acknowledged owing Murang’a Sh207 million out of a total claim of Sh327 million submitted by the county.

Kang’ata said the funds are critical to stabilising health services, noting that hospitals have continued to treat patients despite shortages of essential medicines and supplies caused by delayed payments.

“Our health facilities cannot function effectively without a steady flow of resources. This money will help us restock drugs and ensure patients receive the care they deserve,” the governor said.

The delayed reimbursements have placed sustained pressure on public hospitals, forcing them to operate under severe financial strain for months.

He said the county’s facilities have been overstretched as they struggle to maintain operations while reimbursements lag behind.

SHA also pledged to have Sh11.3 million disbursed in a week’s time to cover last-expense benefits for 113 households enrolled under the Kang’ataCare programme that provides free health insurance to vulnerable families.

Kang’ataCare, launched in 2023, benefits over 40,000 households across the county, including families led by orphans and vulnerable children, those with members suffering from chronic illnesses and the extremely poor.

“This programme ensures families that are very vulnerable can access quality health care without a struggle and helps offset funeral costs when their immediate family members pass on,” the governor said.

He underscored the need for SHA to provide timely reimbursements to sustain the initiative and cushion benefiting households from financial constraints.

Kang’ata lauded Health Aden Duale for intervening and facilitating the meeting after discussions had stalled for months and called for stronger coordination between national and county governments to address challenges in health financing.

Mwangangi commended the county administration for sponsoring vulnerable households to access universal health coverage.

She said all verified claims from health facilities in the county will be paid progressively, but urged them to improve claims documentation and follow the clinical and case management guidelines, citing gaps such as missing or incomplete claim forms, unfilled discharge summaries, lack of itemised invoices and time-barred claims.

To address these issues, SHA and the county administration agreed to conduct targeted facility clinics to help improve the process and reduce the turnaround time.

Nationally, delayed payments have continued to strain the health sector. By August last year, health facilities had submitted claims worth Sh96 billion, with only about Sh53 billion paid to providers.

The backlog prompted private hospitals under the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya to suspend services to SHA beneficiaries nationwide.

As a result, beneficiaries were required to pay cash for treatment from September 22 last year.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

Nationally, delayed payments have continued to strain the health sector. By August last year, health facilities had submitted claims worth Sh96 billion, with only about Sh53 billion paid to providers.