Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has strongly dismissed former DP Rigathi Gachagua’s claims that the Social Health Authority (SHA) is likely to collapse within six months.
Speaking on the evening of Sunday, March 29, CS Duale accused Gachagua of attempting to extort health facilities.
He urged owners of hospitals and other health facilities, private, public, and faith-based, to be cautious of what he described as misleading allegations from the former Deputy President.
CS Duale Refutes Gachagua’s Claim of SHA Collapse Within Six Months. Photo: Courtesy.
The Health CS added that Gachagua should address questions about his personal integrity, including claims of disinheriting his late brother’s widow and children, before criticizing the government’s management of the SHA.
The CS went on to note that SHA has achieved significant milestones over the past 19 months.
He insisted that the authority has disbursed over KSh 19 billion for primary health care (PHC) and paid out a total of KSh 121 billion.
Duale added that more than 30 million Kenyans are now registered under the scheme, a substantial increase compared to the 3 million covered by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Speaking during a church service in Kirinyaga, Gachagua claimed that he had inside information that SHA would collapse within six months.
According to the opposition leader, the collapse would be due to the massive debt the government owns hospitals.
“I have information that SHA will collapse in 6 months, and we will have a crisis of unknown magnitude in the health sector. Today, as we speak, our hospitals, especially the faith-based hospitals, are owed Ksh90 billion and are almost shutting down,” Gachagua claimed.
Gachagua then advised hospitals to ensure pending payments are settled before providing further services.
