Health Committee Inspects Hospitals to Review Rollout of New Social Health Funds

 

The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health on Tuesday toured Ladnan Hospital and Mbagathi Hospital to assess the implementation of Kenya’s new social health financing model.

Led by Seme MP Dr. James Nyikal, the lawmakers reviewed operations under the Social Health Authority (SHA), which manages three key funds aimed at transforming healthcare: the Primary Healthcare Fund for community-level services, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) for general healthcare coverage, and the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIF) to finance specialized and long-term care.

During the inspection, the committee held talks with hospital administrators and frontline health workers on the rollout, service delivery challenges, and preparedness to deliver on the government’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda.

Dr. Nyikal stressed the importance of ensuring both structures and systems are functioning effectively. “The committee has a duty to assess not just the structures, but also the systems in place to ensure these funds benefit Kenyans as intended,” he said.

The visits come amid growing public interest in the new health financing system, which has replaced the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and is expected to widen access to affordable preventive and curative services nationwide.