The Ministry of Health has dumped the use of One-Time Passwords (OTP) for Social Health Authority (SHA) claim verification, instead adopting a mandatory biometric identification system across all Level 4, 5 and 6 health facilities as part of measures to eliminate rising cases of fraud. 

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said all approvals under SHA must now be completed using biometric health IDs or the newly launched Practice 360 app.

“With immediate effect, SHA will no longer accept OTP-based authorisation. All approvals must be completed using either biometric health ID or the Practice 360 app,” Duale said on Monday during the launch of the new system at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH),

Implemented through the Digital Health Agency (DHA), the new system, isalready operational at all Level 4, 5 and 6 hospitals, and will soon be extended to Levels 2 and 3 centres

The biometric system will serve as a game-changer in tackling fraud, reducing paperwork, eliminating queues and enabling health workers to dedicate more time to patient care.

"We have also launched the practice 360 app today, which we have launched today and is now live from this minute and is geo-tapped to specific health facilities where healthcare professionals are stationed," Duale said.

“This innovation will secure access to health services without physical documents. Your fingerprint will verify your identity securely, eliminating fraud and misuse of benefits. It reduces paperwork, shortens queues, and ensures more time is spent on patient care,” he explained.

Biometric verification was initially used under the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to authenticate patients’ identities at healthcare facilities. 

Patients could instantly access services as scanning fingerprints minimised delays but the system was misused by unscrupulous healthcare providers who ended up using patient fingerprints to process fraudulent claims.

Elsewhere, Duale has issued a 30-day ultimatum to pharmaceutical companies, directing them to upload their certified product data on the National Product Catalogue which is integrated with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), or risk de-registration and de-listing from the authority.

“All pharmaceutical companies must upload certified product data within 30 days. Non-compliance will lead to de-registration and de-listing from the SHA ecosystem,” he warned.

The CS explained that the changes are necessary to ensure the safety of Kenyans and the drugs that are prescribed. “This catalogue ensures only authorized, safe, and approved pharmaceutical products are administered to Kenyans, eliminating counterfeit drugs,” he explained.

Since the rollout of SHA, the Ministry of Health said more than 25.1 million Kenyans have been registered. Additionally, over 10,000 health facilities, both public and private, have been contracted, with the Authority reimbursing KES47.5 billion under the Social Health Insurance Fund and another KES6.9 billion through the Primary Healthcare Fund.

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