This archive report was first published on 27 September 2021.
Published on September 27, 2021, the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) has launched an investigation into claims that hospitals are pushing women to undergo C-section births for financial gain.
According to NHIF data, payments for Caesarean-section births have more than doubled over the past five years, with the procedure accounting for 44% of NHIF's maternity costs of Sh5.67 billion in 2020.
The NHIF does not pay for elective C-section births, but private hospitals have been accused of pushing women into the procedure because it generates more money for doctors and the institutions compared to natural births.
In 2015, the NHIF board increased the amount allocated to C-section births from Sh18,000 to Sh30,000, and NHIF also pays Sh10,000 for normal delivery, which was increased from Sh6,000.
Top private hospitals charge more than Sh200,000 for C-section births compared to between Sh100,000 and Sh120,000 for normal delivery, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that the procedure is increasingly being used when unnecessary.
“Although it can save lives, Caesarean section is often performed without medical need, putting women and their babies at risk of short and long-term health problems,” WHO says.
The NHIF is also considering cutting some benefits, including renal dialysis, major surgeries, and diagnostic tests, in a drive to reduce payouts, which will reduce payouts to hospitals by at least Sh2.9 billion in the year to June 2022.
