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NHIF dismisses non-payment allegations
National Hospital Insurance Fund CEO Geoffrey Mwangi speaks during a press conference at Sarova Panafric Hotel in Nairobi on August 22, 2017. He downplayed non-payment allegations against the agency. PHOTO | ROBERT NGUGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Mwangi insisted that the insurer had not received any formal complaint from the health facilities.
The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) has denied claims of non-payment of dues owed to hospitals offering services to its members.
Speaking Monday on the sidelines of a quarterly stakeholders’ meeting, NHIF’s Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Mwangi insisted that the insurer had not received any formal complaint from any of the 9,000 contracted health facilities with regards to settlement of claims.
“What we are doing is in line with our normal business. We are just verifying our claims and putting controls where necessary to safeguard funds.
"Everything else being purported is a fallacy,” he said.
PAYS PROMPTLY
Mr Mwangi further downplayed claims that some hospitals had threatened to withhold services to patients using NHIF cards, saying the delay in settling claims arose from increased benefits to members.
The chairperson of the Kenya Association of Private Hospitals (KAPH), Dr Abdi Mohamed, who was with Mr Mwangi during the briefing, also dismissed the claims of non-remittance of dues, saying the fund pays promptly.
Mr Mwangi however said there were fraud cases under investigation.
“Medical fraud is all over and we are not saying that we do not have a few cases.”
