The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) has not brought on board the top private hospitals for the provision of enhanced medical services it promised consumers in as it increased the monthly contributions in April.
Mr Samuel ole Kirgotty, the fund’s chief executive, said NHIF is yet to strike a deal with the industry’s leaders such as Nairobi, Aga Khan, Mater, MP Shah and Gertrude’s, according to Business Daily. Contributors remain confined to public hospitals for services they were to start enjoying beginning July 1.
“We are still negotiating with them because their rates are higher,” Mr Kirgotty said. Mounting resistance to the new rates, which is being backed by a strike by workers, is scaring private hospitals. “Even those that we are negotiating with are not certain,” said he added.
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Employers have also opposed the high contributions. The NHIF reckons that a review of monthly premiums was necessary for improvement of medical services. The pooling of cash is part of the government’s strategy to achieve universal healthcare, which is part of the country’s Vision 2030 development blueprint.
The NHIF said it had collected Ksh3.2 billion since April to be paid to the hospitals as capitation. The public health insurer last month published a list of 1,128, private and faith-based health service providers that had agreed to serve contributors to the enhanced scheme.
The top private hospitals were, however, not on the list but the fund said it had opened negotiations to get them on board. NHIF had hoped to entice contributors, whose monthly fees increased from Ksh320 up to Ksh1,700, with the promise of enhanced benefits in the premium facilities.
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