The Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) is set to issue an important update on the country’s healthcare situation following President William Ruto’s directive on the settlement of NHIF arrears.
According to a presser sent to the media, the medics body will on Thursday, March 6, 2025, hold a briefing to discuss their official position in line with the president’s new directives.
The briefing will be held at the head’s office in Lunga Lunga Square and will start at 10:30 am.
During the briefing, RUPHA is set to announce their response to the announced measures and its impact on private and faith-based healthcare providers.
The body is also set to issue recommendations for equitable disbursement of payments to ensure fairness for all providers and provide guidelines for healthcare facilities on service delivery to SHA beneficiaries moving forward.
The body maintains that it is a critical moment for Kenya’s healthcare system as far as safeguarding sustainable healthcare service delivery is concerned.
Ruto’s declaration
In a bid to avert a looming crisis, Ruto on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 announced that his administration was going to clear debts owed to hospitals that were contracted by the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Ruto made it public that all hospitals owed Ksh10 million and below would be fully paid as part of efforts to streamline the country’s healthcare system.
“To comprehensively deal with this challenge, the government has resolved to pay all hospitals with total claims of Ksh10 million and below in full, representing 91 per cent of all facilities that were contracted by NHIF,” Ruto announced without providing a timeline when the money would be paid.
However, Ruto indicated that hospitals claiming over Ksh10 million would be subjected to a verification exercise set to be completed within 90 days.
The government will then decide on the payment plan.
Ruto further confirmed that Social Health Authority (SHA) would continue to remit payments to contracted hospitals every month.
“Under the Social Health Authority, current claims will continue to be paid within a month. To date, SHA has paid all undisputed claims lodged since its inception on October 1, 2024, and up to January 31, 2025, totalling Ksh18.2 billion,” Ruto affirmed.
The president’s directives followed after RUPHA had decided to pull the plugs on offering medical services through the Social Health Authority cover on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
RUPHA stated that hospitals had been struggling majorly because of unsettled debts that amount to Ksh30 billion and an unsustainable reimbursement model. Many hospitals have laid off staff, delayed salaries, faced medicine shortages, and defaulted on loans.
“The continued failure to resolve critical challenges in the SHA transition is directly endangering patient care and hospital sustainability. Hospitals have lost staff, defaulted on loans, and faced medicine shortages due to delayed payments,” RUPHA Chairman Brian Lishenga said.
