Nairobi, 09 November, 2019 / 3:17 am (ACI Africa).
Calls on the national medical insurer in the East African country of Kenya to pay pending claims it owes Church-run hospitals was one of the key issues expressed by the Bishops in Kenya at the Friday, November 8 Press Conference at the end of their four-day Ordinary Plenary Assembly in Nairobi.
“We your shepherds and indeed people of goodwill are deeply concerned about the growing debt of National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to be paid to our health institutions across the country,” the Bishops in Kenya stated through their Chairman, Archbishop Philip Anyolo.
“In fact, many of our health facilities and other faith-based health facilities have been experiencing a serious crisis of NHIF non-payments to a point where it is difficult to procure medicine and pay salaries,” the Bishops explained.
The National Executive Secretary of the Catholic Health Commission under the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) Jacinta Mutegi, told ACI Africa Friday, November 8 that NHIF owes Catholic health facilities “about 1.9 billion shillings (US$19 million) for 100 Mission Hospitals.”
“We started experiencing delays from September/October 2018 and we have had so many meetings; there are claims processing challenges at NHIF,” Ms. Mutegi said and added, “We are having challenges paying bills, salaries and buying drugs.”
