Government changes strategy in SHA registration
Government resorts to door-to-door registration after Social Health Authority (SHA) numbers drop
Government resorts to door-to-door registration after Social Health Authority (SHA) numbers drop.
The government has decided to change tact in a bid to shore up the number of Kenyans registered for the Social Health Authority (SHA) after an underwhelming turnover in recent days.
Despite an initial surge of 12 million registered Kenyans who secured access to health services provided under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) in October, the number of new registrations has dipped, prompting the government to resort to fresh tactics to ensure all 55 million Kenyans are registered under the new program.
In their latest registration drive, the government has turned to door-to-door registration to coerce more Kenyans to register for the new medical scheme while also highlighting the benefits.
By Wednesday, 14 million Kenyans were registered under the new scheme, including 8 million new registrations. 6 million Kenyans managed to successfully transition from the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund.
This puts the average rate of SHA registration at Ksh90,000 Kenyans daily – a figure that the government feels could be higher with increased efforts.
The new door-to-door drive will be spearheaded by Health PS Mary Muthoni who launched the initiative in Machakos County accompanied by Community Health Promoters (CHP).
While touring Muthuni, Mbilini, and Mwanyani areas to check on CHP-led SHA registrations, the PS sought to incentivise the registration process by issuing goodies to newly registered members.
“We need everyone to register so that should any ailment that cannot be treated at home, you can go to a local health facility and get treated,” she explained.
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“We are not leaving anybody behind. Anybody who is earning a salary of Ksh30,000 and below will be paying lower than what they were paying at NHIF (National Health Insurance Fund).”
Further, Muthoni urged breadwinners to register their entire family members for the new government health scheme, not as individuals.
Since the SHIF rollout kicked off on October 1, one of the biggest challenges the government has faced has been convincing Kenyans, particularly those hailing from remote areas, of the benefits of the new scheme.
The process of transitioning from NHIF to SHA has also not been flawless with a combination of factors including system glitches, resistance from various stakeholders, and overall confusion at the start marring the process.
However, the government has consistently reiterated its commitment to the new scheme, which President William Ruto says aims to provide a broader access to healthcare for Kenyans from all walks of life.
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