Thursday, June 7, 2012

NHIF: The other side of the story


NHIF: The other side of the story

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Updated 7 hrs 38 mins ago
By Alex Ndegwa
House Health Committee report on controversial National Hospital Insurance Fund scheme for civil servants raises questions about MPs’ own credibility than that of people it probed. 
Whereas the presentations it received during its hearings bore shocking proof of payments of millions of shillings to ghost clinics, and despite having acknowledged at the investigative stage this was a scandal of the magnitude of Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing, the MPs’ final report is silent on recovery of the millions of shillings paid out.
This is despite itsloud condemnation in the initial stages of the payment of Sh202 million to Clinix Healthcare despite confirming some of the clinics it listed did not exist when it was being paid, and Meridian Health Group which received Sh116 million.
The whole healthcare scheme for 221,730 public servants was worth Sh4 billion.
But not just that, the MPs are on each other’s neck over claims some of them could have for ‘unknown’ reasons decided not to press for the recovery. Others, including committee members, openly claim the report was doctored and what came out is a pale shadow of the findings and recommendations.
So even as the committee chairman Robert Monda recoils in fear of death threats directed at him over his probe into how NHIF funnelled millions into private firms that in some cases listed ghost clinics, it turns out his team finally makes no attempt to have the money returned.
Instead, it wants the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to probe top Government officials led by Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o, Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno, suspended NHIF chief Richard Kerich, and the owners of Clinix Healthcare and Meridian Health Group.
The report is expected to reignite debate on integrity of parliamentary probe committees because of the way its recommendations are at variance with its findings as captured in its minutes. 
For instance, while the committee described the involvement of Clinix payments as a “scam to rip-off Kenyans” it has not recommended any refund. Yet of the Sh202 million paid to Clinix Health Care Limited, the committee observed over Sh87.8 million was for 21 facilities that were not opened by the time of signing the contract in January.
fraud
“The committee equated this act to fraud,” says Volume II of the report on the outpatient medical insurance cover tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.
It adds: “The amount of Sh202 million (capitation money) paid to Clinix was probably used to set up new outlets and noted that the taxpayers’ money was not used for service provision, but for expansion of private entities whose shareholding was clandestine.” 
Yet despite these damning observations the only recommendation touching on Clinix relates to a directive to the Attorney General to report to the House on the mysterious ownership of the healthcare chain.
Another recommendation urged a forensic audit to recover any funds paid out irregularly and “any other appropriate action taken against those found culpable.”
This has raised several questions, for instance, why didn’t the committee in its final report recommend that Clinix be surcharged for loss of public funds yet MPs detailed payments to ghost facilities?
Why did members reject a suggestion by a colleague that Clinix and Meridian be suspended from the scheme until conclusion of the investigations?
Was there a plot to politicise the report by glossing over the substantive graft issues in the recommendations and instead sensationally naming ministers perhaps to have it rejected by Parliament?
The committee observed contradictions in the documents submitted by the health service providers, the NHIF Board, and the registrar of MPDB as to the actual number of Clinix outlets.

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