The Ministry of Health has released a list of specialized medical services that are not available in Kenya and can only be accessed overseas.
The Benefits Package and Tariffs Advisory Panel (BPTAP) identified at least 36 treatments that Kenyans must seek abroad because of limited resources.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the country currently lacks the transplant materials, advanced equipment, and specialized personnel needed to provide the services locally.
Some of the unavailable treatments include wrist joint arthroplasty, metacarpal joint arthroplasty, ankle joint arthroplasty, allogeneic bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplants, trans jugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and Yttrium-90 (Y-90) radio-embolization.
Other services are surgical management of birth-related brachial plexus injuries, photopheresis (ECP extracorporeal photopheresis), nerve ablation therapy, neural regenerative therapy, and proton therapy.
To help patients in need of such treatment, the government has introduced a mechanism through the Social Health Authority (SHA) to support referrals abroad.
However, CS Duale explained that the process will be tightly regulated.
“Referrals for overseas treatment will be subject to a peer review mechanism by the Claims Management Office to ensure medical necessity. The treatment sought must also fall within the financial limits of the benefits package and must not be an unproven, experimental, or unconventional therapy,” said Duale.
Patients whose cases are approved will receive up to Sh500,000 in government support for treatment outside the country.
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