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{
    "id": 1557883,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1557883/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 232,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Specialised services are accessed at public tertiary facilities comprising Levels 5 and 6 hospitals. Emergency, chronic and critical illness services are provided at these facilities, courtesy of this House. They are funded by the Government of Kenya. This referral system is aimed at decongesting specialised facilities to allow them focus on provision of specialised services as contemplated under the Health Act, 2017. Kenyans go to India and other countries looking for specialised facilities because our specialised facilities like Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) are crowded by patients who can be attended to at Levels 2, 3 and 4 healthcare facilities. Somebody with a headache, malaria or a small scar from an accident goes to Kenyatta National Hospital. Our specialised facilities should be reserved for special cases. I ask this House to support me in this regard. Health practitioners in our specialised facilities should attend to patients who require specialised treatment and not ailments that can be treated at lower levels of our healthcare system. Hon. Speaker, the other question is on the empowerment of health facilities. How do we know that this is a health facility? How do we grade them? Unlike before, a facility must now be licensed by the Kenyan Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council, the Clinical Officers Council and all other regulatory bodies within the healthcare sector. They must tell us what level a facility is and whether it has all that is required to be part of Universal Health Care. The regulator audits these facilities and licenses them. If the regulator feels that a facility is fit to be Level 3 and not Level 4, it will advise SHA accordingly. The defunct NHIF used to accredit facilities and make them pay for em-paneling even after being licensed. This was done on the basis of who you know and how much money you paid for the defunct NHIF to accredit your facility. That has since changed. I have had a meeting with the Council of Governors and learned that we still have about 2,900 primary health facilities that have not been licensed. We asked them to give us the names of those facilities, which they have already done. The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council and the other regulatory bodies within that sector will consider those facilities. Hon. Speaker, on the question of the approved SHA staff establishment, it is 815. In line with the First Schedule of the Social Health Insurance Act, SHA has advertised positions. The Act gives priority to employees of the defunct NHIF that SHA did not absorb. The number will reduce because SHA is technology-driven. The excess NHIF staff will be redeployed within public service. No one will lose their job. Let me do it with the rider that certificates must be genuine. If you were working at NHIF with a fake degree, we will not only terminate your service but we will also refer you to the relevant institutions within the criminal justice system for appropriate action to be taken against you. We have already found a number of them. Corruption has permeated our systems to a point that people do not want to go to university. They want to buy degrees. Many Members of Parliament have approached and told me that so-and-so is working somewhere. Before I deal with those cases, ask your constituents who worked at NHIF if their documents are in order. I am sure, they are watching me. Nobody will lose his or her job. However, do not wait for me if your documents are fake. You better resign now and go home because we will not carry you just because you joined NHIF. In fact, we will surcharge you all the salaries paid by the defunct NHIF. On provision of a detailed report on the current capital capitation, SHIF has not received any capitation from the Exchequer. As we said, there is a difference between SHA and SHIF. The SHIF is contributory and self-financing. If you allow me, Hon. Members, I have a table where this is explained very well. Hon. Speaker, the other question is on how monies have been utilised since the authorisation of the Fund. All monies collected so far have been used to settle verified claims. Let me stress the phrase “verified claims”. Some of the unpaid claims by the defunct NHIF are 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."
}