NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 15 – The government has confirmed that it will soon clear outstanding bills owed to faith-based hospitals.
Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura in a statement asserted that the government had already released Sh938 million to the health facilities with an additional Sh2.5 billion expected to be disbursed in the coming days.
Mwaura emphasized the government’s commitment to resolving the long-standing National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) debt, which totals an estimated Sh19 billion owed to healthcare providers across the country.
“The Government is actively addressing the historical NHIF debts, including the Kshs. 19 billion owed to healthcare providers,” read the statement in part.
“As of now, sh 5.05 billion has been disbursed, with faith-based hospitals receiving Kshs. 938 million, and an additional Sh2.5 billion scheduled for distribution in the next few days.”
Mwaura’s statement comes in the wake of criticism from the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) over government’s failure to clear dues amounting to Sh 3 billion owed to the faith-based health facilities.
The prelates avverd that the amount stems from dues accrued from the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
The Catholic Church leaders have long been vocal on the matter of NHIF, urging the government to settle its outstanding debts to FBOs, which play a crucial role in providing healthcare to vulnerable communities across the country.
Source: capitalfm
