Social Health Authority (SHA) CEO Mercy Mwangangi says at least 32.3 million Kenyans have registered with the agency.
Mwangangi said the figure nearly doubled the highest registration recorded under the former National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), which stood at 16.9 million. She made the remarks during a presentation at the National Health Summit at KICC on Tuesday, August 18, where she outlined SHA’s progress two years after its establishment and described the reforms as being measured in lives saved and improved access to care.
Health Facilities Expand Under SHA
She said the number of health facilities available to SHA members has also risen from 8,667 during the NHIF period to 10,713. Of these, 5,959 are government facilities, 4,534 are private facilities, and 541 are run by faith-based organizations.
Surgeries, Renal Care, and Cancer Coverage Rise Sharply
Mwangangi added that SHA has facilitated 501,839 surgeries in two years, compared with 227,741 surgeries recorded during a comparable two-year period under NHIF.
In renal care, Mwangangi said the number of beneficiaries rose from 8,831 under NHIF to 20,952 under SHA. She added that SHA has covered about 50,000 cancer patients, compared with 29,473 under NHIF.
SHA Introduces ICU Coverage, Boosts Primary Healthcare Access
On critical care, Mwangangi said NHIF did not cover ICU services, while SHA has so far paid for ICU care for 28,031 beneficiaries. She also reported that 9.3 million Kenyans have benefited from primary healthcare services under SHA, representing an increase of about 27% compared with the NHIF period.
For maternity care, Mwangangi said SHA has paid for deliveries for 1.3 million mothers, with Sh17 billion disbursed for the services during the period.
SHA Reports Sh178.5 Billion in Total Payouts
She further said SHA has paid out Sh178.5 billion across its various funds. The Social Health Insurance Fund received Sh134 billion, Primary Healthcare got Sh23 billion, the Public Officers Medical Scheme received Sh16.9 billion, and the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund received Sh3.5 billion.
New Ambulance Dispatch Center Handles Over 18,000 Calls
Mwangangi also highlighted the recently launched ambulance dispatch center, saying it received 18,534 calls in its first two weeks and dispatched ambulances to 506 incidents since launch.
She said the growth in both health facilities and beneficiaries reflects efforts to bring healthcare services closer to Kenyans.
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