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The Competition Authority of Kenya has mandated the Rural Private Hospital Association of Kenya (RUPHA) to permit patients to access medical services using the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) card.
This directive comes in response to RUPHA's decision in December 2023, instructing its members to either reject or reduce the acceptance of NHIF cardholders due to unpaid remittances.
In a Gazette Notice, the Competition Authority issued a cease and desist order, directing RUPHA to immediately halt the implementation of this policy.
"RUPHA, its agents and members are directed to, with immediate effect, cease and desist from implementing the said circular and refrain from making further recommendations regarding prices, fees and terms of trade to any class of its members until the ongoing investigation is concluded and the Authority pronounces itself," the notice read in part.
The directive is in line with Section 37 of the Competition Act which dictates that CAK may issue a cease and desist in any undertaking that could cause irreparable damage or hurt the public interest pending the conclusion of the investigations.
Associations affiliated with private hospitals including RUPHA and the Kenya Association of Private Hospitals (KAPH) had pulled out of NHIF owing to billions of shillings in debt.