The National Assembly’s departmental Committee on Health has asked the National Treasury to allocate resources in the upcoming and subsequent financial year budgets to compensate referral and specialized hospitals for providing care to indigent patients.
The members argued that the facilities despite waving medical bills for thousands of patients are never compensated by the National Treasury.
Committee chairperson, Robert Pukose, pointed out that these institutions cannot be allowed to languish in huge debts due to waiving bills for patients who were either unable to pay for their own expenses or whose bills were waived for their kin.
“I urge the National Treasury to examine the budget to identify funds to support these institutions. They cannot continue waiving bills for patients while languishing in huge debts.
“These patients have received food and medication provided by the institutions. We must find a way to compensate them,” said Pukose, who is also the Endebess MP.
He made the remarks during a meeting to review the 2024/25 financial year estimates of revenue and expenditure and the 2023/24 financial year supplementary estimates II for the ministry of health.
Kenyatta National Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO), (KNH), Evanson Kamuri said that despite the hospital being owed large amounts of money in debts, it continues to provide care for indigent patients.
“We are finding alternative methods to manage the facility’s finances while continuing to provide essential services,” Kamuri said.
In addition, he told members that until effective mechanisms for managing indigent patients are established, referral facilities will continue to face challenges.
He also pointed out that unlike private hospitals, public facilities like KNH must provide services to all Kenyans regardless of their financial situation.
“We cannot deny services to Kenyans who come to KNH, and similarly, we cannot adjust services to cost because most Kenyans cannot afford them at full price,” he said.
He pleaded with MPs to allocate resources to KNH, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital (KUTRRH) and National Spinal Injury Referral Hospital so as to bridge that gap for indigent patients.
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