Hypertension Patients Raise Alarm Over SHA Failures and Drug Shortages in Kitui

By JOSPHINE MWENDE 

Some patients, who have lived with the condition for decades, said they have experienced major challenges under the new healthcare system.

According to the patients, SHA services are unreliable, especially when hospital systems experience network failures during payment processing. They noted that this often forces them to pay for treatment from their own pockets, unlike the former National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which previously offered reimbursement in some cases.“I have lived with this disease for 35 years and have followed doctors’ instructions carefully. That is why I am still doing well, but we are facing many challenges,” one patient said.

Another patient stated that SHA is not effectively supporting people suffering from chronic illnesses that require costly treatment.“SHA is not working as it is supposed to, especially for serious illnesses that require large amounts of money for treatment.

Network outages make it difficult for patients to receive help. We urge the government to address these issues and ensure every patient gets proper support,” the patient further said.

The patients also appealed to county referral hospitals to ensure a consistent supply of medication for hypertension patients.“There is a shortage of medicine in many county hospitals, forcing hypertension patients to buy drugs using their own money. Some cannot afford the treatment and end up missing the necessary medical help. We ask the county government to address this issue,” another patient lamented.

Most hypertension patients in Kitui are elderly people who struggle to meet treatment costs. Due to this, they appealed to the national government to lower the age requirement for beneficiaries of the Inua Jamii cash transfer programme from 70 years to 60 years.“Many of us attending hypertension clinics do not have payslips or the strength to earn a living. We request the national government, through the Inua Jamii initiative, to reduce the qualifying age to 60 years so that more vulnerable people can receive support for their livelihoods,” another patient said.

Speaking during the event, Kitui County Executive Committee Member for Health and Sanitation, Ruth Koki, revealed that the county has recorded a steady increase in hypertension cases.

According to county statistics, the number of hypertension patients rose from 31,000 in the 2021/2022 financial year to 36,000 in the previous year.

Koki noted that the increasing number of cases highlights the need for regular medical check-ups, early diagnosis and proper management of lifestyle-related diseases.“In 2021/2022, we had a total of 31,000 hypertension patients, and according to last year’s data, the number increased to 36,000. This means the cases are rising, but the disease can be prevented,” Koki said.

She added that hypertension can be managed effectively if diagnosed early and patients follow medical advice, maintain healthy lifestyles and attend regular check-ups.“The best thing is for people to keep checking their health status to ensure such diseases do not remain unnoticed in their bodies for a long time,” she added.

Koki further highlighted measures the county government had put in place to improve healthcare access across Kitui.“We have community health promoters across the county equipped with machines to check blood pressure and offer basic assistance. In addition, all 326 county dispensaries have blood pressure monitoring machines to help residents access screening services easily,” she said.

She urged residents to regularly monitor their health, maintain balanced diets, exercise frequently and avoid excessive alcohol consumption to reduce the risk of hypertension and other lifestyle diseases.