Aga Khan suspends services to NHIF clients
Aga Khan Hospital- Dar es Salaam
What you need to know:
- In a statement issued by NHIF on August 7, 2024, and signed by Hipoliti Lello on behalf of the Director General, the fund indicated that, to prevent inconvenience for its members while discussions with the service provider continue, it will suspend services at Aga Khan centers nationwide starting August 14.
Dar es Salaam. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has announced that the Aga Khan Foundation intends to end its contract with the fund at 11 of its 24 centers starting August 14 this year due to operational issues.
Among the centers where services for NHIF clients will be suspended are Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam and other centers owned by the foundation, including various clinics across the country.
In a statement issued by NHIF on August 7, 2024, and signed by Hipoliti Lello on behalf of the Director General, the fund indicated that, to prevent inconvenience for its members while discussions with the service provider continue, it will suspend services at Aga Khan centers nationwide starting August 14.
Internal reports obtained by Mwananchi Digital specify that the centers affected include Mbezi Beach, Masaki, Kigamboni, Kimara, Sinza, Geita, Mbeya, Arusha, Zanzibar, and Kahama.
Other centers, such as Tabata, Yombo, Kibaha, Morogoro, Iringa, Mwanza, Bukoba, and additional remaining centers, will continue to provide services.
The issues raised include NHIF’s low payments to Aga Khan, particularly for surgical patients.
To ensure continued service for its beneficiaries, especially those who were receiving care at Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam, NHIF has made the following arrangements:
Pregnant women attending clinics at Aga Khan Hospital who have reached 35 weeks of pregnancy will continue to receive services at the hospital until they give birth and are discharged.
Pregnant women who have not reached 35 weeks are advised to use alternative centers registered with the fund, where some doctors from Aga Khan were also providing services.
Patients hospitalised by August 13 will continue to receive care at Aga Khan Hospital until they recover and are discharged.
“All other patients, including those receiving cancer and dialysis treatments, will be accommodated at other centers registered with the fund. The fund has already contacted dialysis patients and relocated them to recommended service centers,” the statement said.
Additionally, NHIF has registered other facilities with similar or higher status than Aga Khan Hospital Dar es Salaam, including Saifee Hospital and Shifaa Pan African Hospital, both in the city.
Members and their dependents can also access emergency services at major centers such as Muhimbili National Hospital, MOI Orthopedic Institute, and Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI).
In other regions, NHIF has ensured that registered centers are available nearby to guarantee uninterrupted service for members.
“The fund requests members to inform their employees to use alternative centers for medical services starting August 14, 2024. NHIF officials in the large clients' unit and its nationwide offices are ready to assist members to ensure they receive uninterrupted services during this transition period,” the statement concluded.
