Health CS Aden Duale Sets Conditions On SHA Pre-Authorisation Payments
Health Updated: 04 March 2026 18:29 EAT
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale presided over the signing of Intergovernmental Participatory Agreements (IPAs) under the Building Resilient and Responsive Health Systems (BREHS) Project
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced that the Social Health Authority (SHA) will not pay doctors who submit pre-authorisation requests from private facilities during their official public working hours. The move is aimed at curbing potential conflicts of interest and ensuring that doctors devote their public service hours fully to government facilities.
The announcement comes as part of efforts to strengthen accountability and transparency within the SHA system, which is part of the broader rollout of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) to achieve universal health coverage.
Under the policy, claims submitted for services at private facilities between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.—official public working hours—will not be reimbursed. Doctors are expected to submit such requests outside official working hours if they are engaged in private practice.
CS Duale argued that some doctors working in public hospitals have been referring patients to their own private clinics while on duty, resulting in lost revenue and weakened public service delivery.
The announcement has been met with strong objections from the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), which says the policy is administratively unrealistic and could disrupt patient care.
KMPDU representatives stressed that public doctors often work extended shifts, emergency call-outs, and irregular hours, making rigid time-based restrictions difficult to enforce fairly.
The union has demanded formal consultations with the government before any implementation, citing potential conflicts with collective bargaining agreements and workforce realities.
Officials have framed the proposed changes as part of broader cost-control measures under the SHA, aimed at preventing fraudulent or inappropriate insurance claims.
The Ministry of Health has not yet published detailed regulations or system updates, but the announcement has sparked debate over how to balance conflict-of-interest safeguards with practical clinical service delivery.
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FELIX MAKONA
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