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{
    "id": 1521214,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521214/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 95,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Endebess, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Robert Pukose",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Further, SHA benefits are equitable, affordable, and accessible to all Kenyans, which aligns with Article 43 of the Constitution. Regarding the comparison between NHIF and SHA benefits, we have an annexe, which I will table here. Hon. Speaker, on the status of the NHIF staff and whether they will be absorbed by the SHA, despite Paragraph 1 of the SHIF Act, the Social Health Authority Board, established under Section 4 of the Act, shall competitively recruit and appoint staff under Section 17 of the Act, subject to the approved staff establishment and on-site terms and conditions of service as may be determined by the Board. Notwithstanding the provisions of that paragraph, staff are eligible to apply for the positions advertised by the Authority. They may be considered for appointment where they are suitably qualified for advertised positions. Despite the provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3, the Authority will review the qualifications of all the staff of the Fund. It shall give priority to the staff of the Fund who are found to be suitably qualified for the positions in the approved staff establishment. The staff of the Fund not appointed to the Authority under Paragraph 2 of the Act may exercise their options to either retire from public service or be redeployed within the public service. On the status update of the NHIF staff transition, the SHA Board has since sought the advisory of both the Attorney-General and the Public Service Commission (PSC) on staff transition. On 21st November 2024, all 1,737 staff of the defunct NHIF were taken over by the Public Service Commission and subsequently deployed to the SHA for six months or until the SHA completes recruitment, whichever comes first. The SHA Board has since reviewed the human resource instruments and submitted them to the Public Service Commission for approval. Suitability tests are scheduled to commence before the end of February 2025. On concerns that data captured by the SHA is inadequate, frustrating patients seeking treatment, and on the measures being put in place to ensure data accuracy, the data captured by the SHA is adequate to ensure service provision. However, patients face challenges and measures to address them are ongoing. Further, the Authority noted that some Kenyans do not complete the registration process, especially those that only register through the USSD code *147# channel. Those Kenyans have not gone through the means testing process that enables them to make payments under the SHIF and are not eligible for the SHIF services in Level 4, 5 and 6 hospitals. On the issue of lack of medicines in hospitals where patients are supposed to receive treatment but are not given the prescribed medication, the Ministry appreciates the challenges of procuring health products and technologies. The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) business model was disrupted from 2019 to 2022 due to the impact of COVID-19 on the production of health products and technologies. The procurement of COVID-19 Health Product Declarations (HPDs) during the 2019/2020 period significantly impaired the Authority's cash flow. Additionally, as detailed below, the Authority has been burdened by significant receivables amounting to more than Ksh6 billion. As such, the organisation's sustainability model has been facing various challenges, including inadequate financing to procure HPDs, with a funding gap of Ksh5 billion, and debt repayments, among them being The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}