SHA Introduces Fingerprint Verification for Child Dependants
According to SHA, biometric registration will take place when an eligible child visits a contracted healthcare provider for treatment.
SHA office building. Photo: Courtesy.
By Robert Mutasi
Kenya’s Social Health Authority (SHA) has introduced biometric fingerprint identification for registered child dependants aged 7 to 17 years, a move aimed at strengthening beneficiary verification and curbing fraud within the country’s national health insurance program.
In a public notice issued Tuesday, the authority said the new system will require parents or guardians to give consent before their children’s fingerprints are captured during visits to SHA-contracted health facilities.
The fingerprint will be used to verify the child’s identity and ensure that healthcare services are provided to the rightful beneficiary.”SHA has introduced fingerprint identification for registered child dependants aged 7 to 17 years. Parents or guardians are required to give consent for the fingerprint to be captured,” the authority said.
According to SHA, biometric registration will take place when an eligible child visits a contracted healthcare provider for treatment.
The authority said the fingerprint data will be used solely to identify the child and confirm that the correct beneficiary is receiving medical care under the Social Health Insurance Fund.
“The child’s fingerprint will be captured at a SHA-contracted healthcare provider when the child visits for treatment. It will be used to identify the child and confirm that the correct beneficiary is receiving care,” SHA said.
The initiative marks another step in the government’s efforts to digitize healthcare services and tighten controls over beneficiary verification following concerns about fraudulent medical claims under the national health insurance scheme.
SHA said that where fingerprint authentication is not possible, healthcare providers will verify beneficiaries using the contributor’s identification number together with a one-time password (OTP).
The authority assured members that the biometric exercise will comply with Kenya’s Data Protection Act and that personal information collected during the process will be handled securely.
Officials said the system is designed to protect members’ privacy while improving the integrity of the national health insurance database.The government has already deployed more than 8,000 biometric scanners to public health facilities across the country to support the nationwide rollout of biometric verification.
Health officials say requiring a child’s physical fingerprint during treatment significantly reduces the possibility of fraudulent claims because healthcare services cannot be accessed using another person’s identity.The rollout also addresses one of SHA’s persistent operational challenges.
According to authority officials, many registered members have failed to update their personal information and details of their dependants through the online system, leaving the database incomplete or outdated.
The biometric registration exercise is expected to improve the accuracy of beneficiary records by shifting from a self-declared digital registration process to one based on physical identity verification.
The move forms part of broader reforms under the Social Health Authority, which replaced the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) as the government seeks to strengthen transparency, accountability and efficiency in the delivery of universal healthcare services.
SHA has urged parents and guardians to cooperate with healthcare providers during the biometric registration process, saying the exercise is intended to ensure that healthcare benefits are accessed only by eligible beneficiaries while safeguarding public resources.
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