Rural Hospital NHIF Beneficiaries Must Now Pay In Cash

Starting from Wednesday, May 31, NHIF beneficiaries in rural areas of Kenya will need to pay cash to access hospital services, as stated by the Rural Private Hospital Association of Kenya (RUPHA). The association made this announcement after the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) failed to fulfill its obligation of disbursing funds to hospitals affiliated with RUPHA. RUPHA expressed that NHIF breached their agreement by not making the required payments for the April-June 2023 quarter.

Brian Lishenga, the chairman of RUPHA, highlighted that despite receiving letters of assurance from the NHIF board, no money had been remitted to RUPHA. Consequently, RUPHA has decided to issue an immediate notice stating that NHIF Capitated Scheme beneficiaries must make cash payments to access services, effective from May 31, 2023.

In a Twitter post, RUPHA informed NHIF outpatient beneficiaries that they should begin making cash payments for health services. The association mentioned that the capitation beneficiaries, residing in villages and small towns, who faithfully pay Sh.500 per month, have exhausted their credit limits with hospitals. Since March 31, hospitals have been providing them with “credit services” for a period of 60 days.

According to the agreed terms, the NHIF board is obligated to pay the health facilities a capitation amount of Sh1000 per beneficiary per year within the first thirty days of the capitation period. However, this obligation has not been fulfilled, leading to the current situation where NHIF beneficiaries in rural areas need to make cash payments for hospital services.