Greedy hospitals bill for ghost beds as patients suffer

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told public hospitals to stop making patients share beds. He made this announcement during a health meeting with lawmakers and health officials. The practice has gone on for years and needs to end right away. Duale said hospitals must restore dignity for sick people. He called the bed-sharing problem urgent and unacceptable.

Hospitals have been charging the Social Health Authority for separate beds even when multiple patients share one. Duale said four people cannot share one bed and still bill for four different beds. He told hospital managers to buy more beds if they want to admit more patients. The health chief said expanding hospital infrastructure is necessary to meet growing demand. Patients should not have to sleep on floors or share beds with strangers who have different diseases.

Duale also announced a crackdown on fraudulent activities targeting the SHA Fund. He warned that healthcare facilities, workers, and patients who abuse the system will face consequences. The government shut down 31 private hospitals across several counties for alleged irregularities. Seven hospitals closed in Kisumu and others shut down in Bungoma, Busia, Nairobi, Mandera, Wajir, Kajiado, and Kilifi. These closures happened because of problems with the public health fund.