KCCB demands payment of Ksh.2B NHIF claims owed to Catholic hospitals

As services in public hospitals grind to a halt, the options for patients continue to narrow down, as failure by the government to pay Catholic-sponsored mission hospitals is paralysing operations in the facilities that would have provided a reprieve for those who cannot afford private hospitals.

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) says pending National Health Insurance Funds (NHIF) claims amounting to Ksh.2 billion have severely hampered operations across their facilities.

"Faith based hospitals are owed huge amounts by NHIF, amounting to over Ksh.2 billion. The effect is that most of our hospitals are crippled, and not able to operate optimally,” KCCB Vice Chair, Bishop Anthony Muheria, said in a press addres on Thursday.

“And therefore we demand the government to promptly pay NHIF debts owed to all facilities that have provided medical services under NHIF before the transition.”

The clergy also called for an urgent solution to the ongoing healthcare crisis occasioned by the striking medics, saying it is causing untold suffering on helpless Kenyans.

They also cautioned the medics against using the lives of patients as a bargaining chip in their struggle against their employers.

"The life of a human person should never be used as a bargaining currency. Every life is worth more than any financial or employment gain. We urge the government on one hand and medics on the other to seek a working arrangement that does not put the lives of Kenyans at risk, so lives are not at risk during the industrial action," said Muheria.

The Catholic bishops also decried the high cost of living made worse by increased taxation, noting that a majority of Kenyans are barely making ends meet.

"On several occasions we have addressed the issue of over taxation and the cost of living. The reality of ordinary Kenyans s that they are struggling financially,” added Muheria.

“We have urged and continue to encourage the govt to improve public participation in assessing its tax regime. We should not intend to raise billions in a short span at the cost of great stress to Kenyans."

They similarly criticised the government’s apparent disregard for the voice of the church in matters affecting the society, terming religion a vital player in the well being of any society.