SHA to offer free delivery services for expectant mothers under new benefits package

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]Let's now focus on matters health. All expectant mothers registered under SHA will access free delivery services. This follows enhancement of benefits packages by the authority in a bid to expand health care access for registered members. As Emily Chebet reports, the new packages will also ease the burden on cancer patients and people living with sickle cell anemia.

[00:00:24]Pregnant mothers seeking services under the social health authority previously needed to be fully paid up members to access care at level two and three hospitals. However, under the newly revised package, all mothers registered under SHA will now receive delivery services free of charge. According to the Ministry of Health, the government has allocated funds under the primary health care fund to cushion expectant mothers who are unable to finance their SHA contributions.

[00:00:51]>> When it comes to time of delivery, you you will deliver for free. And in case there's any emergency you need a referral, you'll be referred to a higher level facility. The social health authority will reimburse the facilities 10,000 Kenya shillings for normal delivery and 30,000 for cesarean section procedures. According to SHA, some level three facilities accredited by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council have been approved to conduct C-section services. The authority says all mothers, including teenage mothers, deserve quality health care for themselves and their newborn babies regardless of their financial status.

[00:01:26]The revised SHA packages gazetted on Monday also offers renewed hope to cancer patients, many of whom have long complained about the early depletion of their annual allocations. It is now official that cancer patients will access a cover of up to 800,000 Kenya shillings, up from previous 550,000 Kenya shillings. We also have managed to make sure that this cost is what is the average cost in the market. Under the package, cancer patients will also enjoy up to 2,500 per visit for holistic consultations covering up to four visits. These includes access to oncologists, nutritionist, mental health support, and palliative care. Patients will also benefit from 5,000 for chemotherapy administration as per treatment plan, up to 15,000 for chemo port insertion procedures and equipment, as well as full four blood count test valued at 500 Kenya shillings per visit among other itemized services. Patients living with sickle cell disease are also expected to benefit from expanded support under the revised package. For the first time, SHA has introduced coverage for specialized procedures.

[00:02:36]There are two services. There are blood related uh interventions that have been there, but they were not uh clearly defined who is supposed to access those interventions. So, since it was uh called oncology package, uh there was such miscommunication that the sickle cell class could not access this service. The package has also seen allocation for the emergency chronic and critical illness fund increased from 150,000 Kenya shillings to 400,000 Kenya shillings. The Kenya Network of Cancer Organizations, KENCO, has welcomed the revised package describing it as a step in the right direction. However, the organization is calling on the government to ensure seamless access to these services across all accredited health care facilities, while also eliminating delays in approvals, claims processing, and administrative bottlenecks within SHA's systems. Emily Chebet, Citizen TV.