MINISTRY OF HEALTH UNVEILS NEW SHA FRAMEWORK FOR OVERSEAS TREATMENT

The Ministry of Health has introduced a new framework aimed at improving the coordination of sending Kenyans abroad for specialized medical treatment. In a statement issued on Sunday, August 17, 2025, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced that the Social Health Authority (SHA) is rolling out a new system to streamline stakeholder coordination under the Overseas Treatment Benefit Package. “The SHA Overseas Treatment Benefit Package, provided for under the Social Health Insurance Act, allows for treatment outside the country—up to an annual limit of Ksh500,000—for medical services that are not available locally. SHA has aligned its operations with the law, begun contracting, and is now implementing a new system to enhance coordination among all parties involved,” said Duale.

Under this package, patients requiring specialized treatment not offered in Kenya are eligible for overseas care, with SHA covering the costs up to the annual limit. To ensure transparency and high-quality care, the SHA has put in place strict eligibility requirements for foreign hospitals that wish to participate in the program. These hospitals must be formally contracted by SHA, be accredited in their home countries, recognized in Kenya, and have a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a local, SHA-empanelled and contracted health facility. This development comes just weeks after SHA was criticized for failing to honour a Ksh500,000 treatment commitment for 10-month-old Chloe Agnes Nyang’au, who had been taken to India for critical heart surgery.

Responding to the incident on Thursday, August 7, Duale clarified that SHA operates within a strict legal structure, which is different from the framework used by the now-defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). He explained that SHA is only authorized to engage with healthcare providers that have formal contracts with the Authority. “Unlike the NHIF, SHA’s overseas treatment processes are governed by several legal frameworks including the SHI Act and Regulations, the Public Procurement Act, and guidelines from the Office of the Attorney General regarding foreign contracts,” he noted.