Residents of Nakuru now claim that many of the private health facilities are now rejecting the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) cards
The patients claim that they have been turned away on different occasions despite having the NHIF cards which are meant to ensure sustainability for public hospitals.
“I recently sought treatment at AIC Bethany hospital but I was only requested to register . They claimed that they had not come up with an agreement with the government on how the treatment procedure would cost hence they could not treat me, said Margeret Waithera
She cited that despite being sick, the hospital advice her to seek help from a different facility.
Ben Macharia claimed that he was also turned away from Mediheal Hospital when he went for a dental check up despite having an updated NHIF scheme.
They were speaking to the press on Tuesday when they called on the government to improve the scheme. Doctors who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed that the government had cited it would only pay three shillings per day for all NHIF patients.
“This money is too little to give a patient full medical care. In fact many of us opt to ask if the patient is paying through a card or cash before we start treatment,” said the Doctor.
A nurse claimed that the delayed reimbursement from the government to the hospitals under the scheme had forced many hospitals to reject the plan.
“It is not benefiting any one at all. Many hospitals are crippled in debt trying to ask the government to compensate them,” said the nurse
Mediheal head of NHIF deparment Benson Rono said there was a delay in the issuing of contracts by NHIF hence the turning away of patients
On Friday, Principal Secretary for Health, Dr Khadijah Kassachoon, during a tour of the Nakuru Referral Hospital appealed to residents to embrace the scheme saying it would improve on the quality of health care they received
“It’s affordable and will ensure any person can go to the hospital of their choice,” she added