SHA Reveals Number of Hospitals Yet to Move to New Systems as Deadline Is Extended

Hospitals across Kenya have been granted an additional 30 days to complete the transition to new digital health systems after the Social Health Authority (SHA) extended the deadline for healthcare providers that had not finished the process.

The new deadline, announced on Friday, October 30, 2026, requires facilities to move from the SHA Provider Portal to approved Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) by November 30.

SHA and the Digital Health Agency (DHA), which jointly communicated the decision, said the extension was informed by requests from healthcare providers seeking more time and the progress achieved since the migration exercise began.

Despite allowing another month, the agencies made it clear that the existing provider portal would be deactivated once the November deadline expires.

Healthcare facilities that fail to meet the requirement could experience difficulties accessing essential services linked to the SHA programme. These include verifying patient services, obtaining pre-authorisation and submitting or processing medical claims.

The situation could create challenges for hospitals serving patients registered under the authority, particularly where delays affect the handling of treatment approvals and payments.

Data released alongside the announcement shows that public health facilities have recorded different levels of progress depending on their categories.

All 6,427 public Level 2–4 facilities have completed the migration, meaning this category has achieved full compliance.

However, the figures for higher-level hospitals show that some institutions are yet to make the switch. Of the 28 public Level 5 facilities, only 22 have completed the process, leaving six outstanding.

Faith-based healthcare providers have recorded an even slower transition. Only 190 of the 518 facilities in this category have moved to the approved systems, representing 37 per cent completion.

The agencies further reported that 371 private healthcare facilities had successfully migrated, although they did not reveal the overall number of private institutions expected to participate.

The changes are intended to address administrative difficulties experienced under the previous arrangement, where hospitals were required to operate their internal management systems while also using the SHA portal.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale previously explained that the arrangement forced medical workers to enter patient details into multiple platforms, increasing their workload and creating unnecessary delays.

With the new approach, hospitals will rely on their own approved HMIS to manage patient information and connect with SHA and other digital health platforms.

The government anticipates that linking the systems will minimise repeated data entry, strengthen the management of medical records and improve the handling of insurance claims.

Duale said the broader intention was to establish connections across different parts of the healthcare sector rather than introduce another independent platform.

To help facilities meet the November 30 deadline, the Digital Health Agency has committed to providing technical assistance, including system installation, integration, troubleshooting and training of healthcare workers.

Facilities experiencing challenges can seek help through helpdesk@dha.go.ke or the agency’s toll-free support line. They are required to provide their names, contact persons and a description of the difficulties affecting implementation.

The two agencies have also assured hospitals that claims submitted through the existing SHA portal will continue to be handled according to the applicable procedures.

Healthcare providers now have until November 30 to complete the exercise before the old platform is switched off, making the additional month particularly important for institutions that are still behind schedule.

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