By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
The government now says will start paying pending claims for the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha further said the payment will also include those under the Linda Mama Program.
In a post on his verified X handle (formerly Twitter), the CS however insisted that only legitimate claims will be paid.
She noted that NHIF is already under instructions to ensure the process of verifying the claims is rigorous to ensure no fraudulent claims are paid.
“NHIF will embark on payment of pending claims including claims under the Linda Mama programme that had become a concern across the health sector,” the CS said in part of the post.
“I must emphasise that only legitimate and reconciled claims will be paid and I have instructed NHIF to ensure that the process of verification is rigorous to weed out any fraudulent claims,” she added.
The government had put on hold payment of NHIF claims after it emerged that some hospitals were involved in altering bills for their own gains.
It was later revealed that the plot involved some officers of the National Hospital Insurance Fund.
Already two NHIF managers – those in charge of Meru and Nairobi regions have been suspended over claims of colluding with private hospitals to alter medical claims from the fund.
Meanwhile, the Health CS assured that the Linda Mama project will still be operational under the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
There have been concerns that the government might scrap the program rolled out in 2017 by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Under the initiative, mothers get free services before, during and after pregnancy.
The program has been listed among the most impactful in the country’s health system.
“Under the Social Health Insurance Fund, maternal and child clinics previously done by the Linda Mama programme will be covered,” CS Wafula said.
