Kenyatta National Hospital. [PHOTO/the-star.co.ke]
The Kenyatta National Hospital has lost billions of shillings due to defaulted payments by patients.
According to an audit report, the hospital lost over Sh5.4 billion from patients who escaped without paying their bills.
This growing debt has continued to impede efficient service delivery and raise queries about the effectiveness of services by the regional referral hospital.
KNH Chief Executive Lily Koros explained that they have accumulated the debt from both defaulting individuals as well as other institutions.
“The unpaid bills are to the tune of Sh5.4 billion. We have been writing letters to those whose contacts we have, asking them to pay. However, some are from street families and there is not much we can do about that,” she said.
A report by Auditor General tabled in Parliament early this year showed that patients escaped without honouring their cumulative Sh47.5 million debt in the 2015-2016 financial year.
The report further pointed out that the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) owed the hospital Sh311 million that the insurer failed to pay after KNH treated its members.