Health PS Insists That Ongoing Transfer From NHIF To SHIF Without consent Is Legal
The Ministry of Health has mainatned that the ongoing enrolment of Kenyans into the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) without their permission is legal.
Since its roll out kicked off on Tuesday, October 1, Kenyans who had registerd with National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) have continued to raise concerns over SMS messages that they have been automatically registered for the controversial new plan.
“Your NHIF account has been migrated successfully to [the] Social Health Authority. To update your profile dial *147#, visit sha.go.ke or any authorised SHA agent,” reads the message.
Through a statement issued on Thursday, Health Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai acknowledged receiving concerns over the transfers “The Ministry has received inquiries regarding the transition of existing NHIF members to SHA. We wish to clarify that the laws as per legal notice 147 of 2024 provided for the transition of all registered and verifiable NHIF members into SHA.”
“This process ensures continuity of coverage, and members are encouraged to verify, update their profiles and add dependents through our official SHA channels at www.sha.go.ke.”
He alsoacknowledged technical hitches with SHIF’s system, which he attributed to high user demand and said it was being worked on.
“Our technical teams are working 24 hours to address the increased user demand on various systems and enhance service delivery. Kenyans will keep experiencing smoother services as we progress,” the PS said.
What's Your Reaction?
