NHIF was warned of ‘ghost’ clinics

The NHIF management was warned about ghost clinics in the controversial civil servants medical scheme.

But the management went ahead and authorised payments to Clinix Healthcare Limited and Meridian Medical Group, the Director of Medical Services, Dr Francis Kimani, told MPs on Monday.

Dr Kimani, who sits on the National Hospital Insurance Fund board, made the revelations as city businessman Jayesh Saini confirmed to the parliamentary Health committee that he was the owner of Pharma Investments that owns Clinix.

In a late night appearance before the MPs, Dr Kimani said the suspended NHIF chief executive, Mr Richard Kerich, should be blamed for the messy payout and refusing to heed the board’s advice.

“The CEO is responsible for the mess in the NHIF scheme. The board was not involved,” said Dr Kimani who is also the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board registrar.

Health committee chairman Dr Robert Monda said the team was convinced that fraud was committed and that Clinix played a major role.

“I indicated that soon we will tell Kenyans who is fooling who and today Clinix has treated us and Kenyans to something close to a comedy,” Dr Monda said.

Dr Kimani said he tabled a list of 62 ghost facilities which had been accredited by NHIF yet they were not registered to operate.

Clinix has since managed to secure licences for 50 new outlets established between January and April this year. But according to Dr Kimani the licences are yet to be approved by the board, which sits on a quarterly basis.

Licence for one outlet

It also emerged that Meridian has only secured a licence for one outlet since January this year.

The registrar who was accompanied by the chairman of the practising committee, Dr Ochiel, told the MPs 45 of the 62 facilities he raised objections to at an NHIF board meeting in January belonged to Clinix Healthcare.

He said the NHIF board refused to approve the payments and that the matter was a subject of a heated debate.

But Mr Saini denied this, saying 71 facilities belonging to the company were licensed.

He said his vision was to establish 300 facilities in Kenya, adding that he was renovating close to 70 sites.

Mr Saini said he was the owner of Pharma Investments which is registered as an offshore company with a 99 per cent holding in Clinix.

“Pharma belongs to me. I am the owner. It is the investment vehicle I use to operate business in Africa,’’ he told the MPs.

Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o and his Public Service counterpart, Mr Dalmas Otieno, are expected to appear before the committee on Tuesday. (READ: NHIF: Clinix chiefs to face House team)