NHIF adds 204 new hospitals to its list
NHIF CEO Geoffrey Mwangi during a press conference at a Nairobi hotel on August 22 2017. The national health insurer has added 204 hospitals to its list of accredited facilities. PHOTO | ROBERT NGUGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- If the strike comes to an end, it means that the over 6.5 million NHIF members would have more options on where they can access both inpatient and outpatient services.
- At least nine sub-county hospitals have been NHIF-accredited.
- NHIF has also increased rebates for three providers out of the 204.
The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) has added 204 public, private and faith-based health service providers to its list of accredited facilities offering Kenyans a wider access to healthcare.
This is amidst a persisting nationwide nurses’ strike that has seen more than 50 per cent of public health facilities remain closed since June, resulting in avoidable maternal deaths, among others.
If the strike comes to an end, it means that the over 6.5 million NHIF members would have more options on where they can access both inpatient and outpatient services.
At least nine sub-county hospitals have been NHIF-accredited.
TOP HOSPITALS
Some of the country’s top hospitals with satellite facilities such as the Aga Khan Hospital Kitengela, Gertrudes Garden Children Hospital, Nairobi West Clinic, Nyali Medical Clinic and the Texas Cancer Centre in Eldoret, are listed for outpatient and inpatient services respectively.
“The newly added facilities met the requirements for accreditation and the fund is set to sign contracts with them so that they start offering services,” NHIF chief executive Geoffrey Mwangi said on Tuesday.
“We are geared towards providing more services and the more the hospitals the more the access for Kenyans to quality healthcare.”
Out of the new additions, 18 will cover eye, radiology, dental and laboratory services.
REBATES
NHIF has also increased rebates for three providers out of the 204.
Rebates are the amount payable to a facility per bed per day.
The hospitals include Jumuia Friends Hospital in Vihiga (from Sh2,200 to Sh3,000), Lumakanda County Hospital in Kipkaren (from Sh800 to Sh1,600) and Woodlands Hospital, Mandera from (Sh1,400 to Sh1,800).
“We have increased the amount payable to the three hospitals as they can now see our members comprehensively as medical inpatient,” said Mr Mwangi.
In August, NHIF began a crackdown on hospitals making fake claims, especially on diagnostic services such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the computed tomography (CT) scans.
