Make SHA functional, Senator Omogeni tells Ruto 

Nyamira County Senator Okongo O’Mogeni Friday asked President William Ruto to be more swiftly and make the Social Health Authority and the Social Health insurance schemes functional to stem spiralling deaths of patients.

With the choruses of objections being raised against the scheme it could be proper that Ruto does some soul searching and amend it once and for all, the Senator stated.

“We cannot say we are moving forward as a nation in the face of a bungled health insurance scheme like SHA, already we are losing too many lives unnecessarily,” stated Omogeni.

He said the problems afflicting the health care industry in the country are growing each day spiking deaths across the villages.

“It shouldn’t be assumed to be normal when our people are dying because of the failures of the state,” he stated.

The controversy dogging the schemes appeared to escalate early in the week after some health facilities turned away patients, citing non-payment by the government.

Many have since rescinded the decision after the government begun remitting some portion of the cash owed to them.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, on Tuesday, citing the Auditor-General’s report, which raised concerns about three private companies managing the system, including a foreign-owned entity.

“The Auditor General said nobody knows who runs that system. There are three companies, including Safaricom, where they have sorted out a consortium; one company is owned in France. These three companies are the ones that are running management of the money systems, medical systems and the equipment systems,” he stated.

He questioned why the government, despite having local expertise, had allowed foreigners to manage critical health and financial data related to the Social Health Authority.

“The question we are asking is how can our government, with the technical expertise and young people who are bright and intelligent, not be able to domicile the system that is running your money, health and everything in the Ministry of Health be domiciled to foreigners?” he posed during an interview at a local TV station.

Ruto has numerously defended the scheme claimed that opposition to SHA was n being driven by individuals who benefited from NHIF fraud and are now resisting the new system.

“Those complaining are people who have been stealing from us, they don’t want a system that works, because they want to continue stealing from us,” he stated.

But speaking at a burial in Masaba South on Friday, Omogeni praised the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund system saying though it had a fair share of its challenges, it was better managed than SHA.

“Personally am paying Sh27,000 for the same yet more Kenyans are getting it difficult in accessing health care, we should reject it,” added the Nyamira Senator.

He accused Ruto of to forcing unfavorable projects down the throat of Kenyans at the expense of lives.

Weighing in on the ongoing recruitment of the electoral chair, Omogeni said there was need for fairness and integrity in the entire process.

“If Charles Nyachae, because i saw his name among the applicants, wins so be it be it. The process should be above reproach,” said Omogeni.