KRA suspends Nairobi Women’s Hospital from its list of care providers

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has suspended Nairobi Women’s Hospital from its list of approved medical care providers in a memo dated February 5.

In a memo that was sent to staff on Wednesday, KRA explained that the suspension would stay effective until a slew of contentious issues between the Authority and the hospital are resolved.

The same memo advised KRA staff to seek medical care from other approved providers as listed on the company’s website.

The latest comes after Association of Kenyan Insurers (AKI) also suspended the hospital from their accredited service providers.

In a press statement, AKI said the suspension would hold until a review on the quality and the cost of services at the facility was completed.

Meanwhile, insurance companies among them AAR, Jubilee, Old Mutual and CIC also  suspended payment of bills in the nine branches of the hospital citing administrative concerns.

In allegations that came to the fore in mid January, Nairobi Women’s Hospital was among private facilities that made a habit of charging patients with insurance covers exorbitantly, an allegation the hospital denied

Following the claims, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Council launched independent scrutiny into the allegations Of misconduct within the facility.

And on Monday, the hospital’s board of directors said it has commenced an internal probe into claims that medical officers at the hospital had been colluding to unfairly generate revenue from patients.

The underhand revenue collection systems which are under scrutiny include inflation of medication, delaying discharging patients and admitting patients who do not necessarily require admission.