The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health is set to launch a public inquiry into activities at the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
This follows widespread allegations of collusion between NHIF officials and private healthcare facilities to defraud the national insurer.
Speaking on after a meeting with the top management of NHIF, the committee chairperson Robert Pukose expressed concern over prevalent claims that high-ranking NHIF officials have been colluding with unscrupulous hospitals to defraud the fund through unsubstantiated and fictitious claims.
Pukose said that the only way to salvage the deteriorating state of the fund is to launch a comprehensive investigation into these claims.
“As a committee, we cannot turn a blind eye to the misappropriation of public resources within NHIF. The only path to uncover the truth behind the NHIF crisis is through a public inquiry,” said Pukose.
“Next week, we will convene to establish the terms of reference for the inquiry and invite all relevant stakeholders to present their knowledge of the situation at NHIF,” he added.
The committee will also explore the preferential treatment given to privately-owned healthcare facilities at the expense of public health institutions.
“It is inconceivable that a private hospital could perform more surgeries than renowned institutions such as Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), let alone both combined. Clearly, these claims are baseless,” Moyale MP Guyo Jaldesa said.
Supporting the proposal for a public inquiry, Mogotio MP Reuben Kiborek acknowledged that fraudulent activities at the NHIF have persisted throughout history and have been shielded by a covert arrangement whereby NHIF branch managers shield the higher-ups at the headquarters.
“If we aim to establish Universal Health Insurance (UHC), we must address the deep-rooted corruption at NHIF, even if it entails removing the entire NHIF board of management and directors,” he said.
The move by the committee comes amidst growing concerns over mismanagement of funds at NHIF and increasing cases of corruption.
Just last month, close to 350 rural hospitals in the country announced plans to reject NHIF cards following the failure of the public insurer to disburse funds.
The Rural Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (Rupha) at the time argued that the NHIF Board had failed to remit funds to the healthcare facilities in the April-June 2023 quarter making them unable to pay salaries as well as some layoffs.
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