Private hospitals give CS Aden Duale two-week ultimatum to settle overdue NHIF payments

The Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) has issued an urgent demand to Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, pressing for the immediate payment of outstanding National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) arrears by September 9.

In a statement dated August 14, RUPHA expressed frustration over persistent delays, noting that private hospitals are struggling to operate due to stalled payments. Despite President William Ruto’s March 5 directive promising full settlement of claims below Ksh10 million and a verification process for larger claims, no facility, public, private, or faith-based, has received payment as of mid-August.

The crisis worsened after the High Court in Eldoret declared the NHIF Pending Bills Verification Committee unconstitutional, disrupting the Ministry of Health’s claims verification. The committee, established on March 28, was meant to review claims from July 2022 to September 2024, leaving thousands of claims unresolved.

RUPHA is demanding a written commitment from CS Duale to ensure payment by September 9 and calls for the Social Health Insurance Authority (SHA) to publish pending claim amounts per facility within two weeks. The association also seeks immediate settlement of uncontested claims and reactivation of branch-led verification for remaining facilities within three months.

While maintaining its willingness to collaborate, RUPHA emphasized that addressing these long-standing claims is crucial to restore working capital across the health sector and advance Universal Health Coverage under the Taifa Care framework.