Patients seeking non-emergency care at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) may now face a new hurdle: no Social Health Authority (SHA) cover or upfront cash, no admission.
In a memo dated July 22, the hospital announced a strict policy requiring all patients to either show proof of valid SHA membership or pay an upfront deposit equivalent to the cost of treatment. Only emergency cases will be exempt from this rule.
Effective today, all patients presenting for admission without a valid SHA membership must be required to pay the admission deposit for medical cases or the equivalent SHA surgical package cost, protocol receiving service, unless it is an emergency case, read the memo signed by Acting CEO Dr. William Sigilai.
The directive, which has already taken effect, marks a significant shift for Kenya’s top referral hospital, and it could lock out thousands of uninsured Kenyans from receiving vital medical care.
This development comes amid ongoing efforts to implement the SHA, a national health financing model intended to streamline healthcare access and reduce out-of-pocket expenses. However, the transition has yet to reach all citizens, and concerns are mounting over the impact of KNH’s enforcement on those who remain unregistered or unable to afford upfront payments.
Healthcare advocates warn that such policies, while perhaps administratively necessary, risk widening the gap between insured and uninsured Kenyans effectively turning away some of the country’s most vulnerable patients.
As the SHA system rolls out, the burden is now on citizens to get registered and on the government to ensure the system is accessible and equitable for all.
