{
  "id": 13960966,
  "title": "DHA CEO Explains Referral System Amid SHA Outpatient Access Concerns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/dha-ceo-explains-referral-system-amid-sha-outpatient-access-concerns",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-12T12:41:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Capital FM Kenya",
    "slug": "capital-fm-kenya",
    "url": "https://capitalfm.africa/dha-ceo-explains-referral-system-amid-sha-outpatient-access-concerns/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NAIROBI, Kenya, October 12 – The Digital Health Agency (DHA) is striving to link hospitals, health insurers, patients and medicine suppliers via digital platforms, aiming to enhance medical record sharing, safeguard patient data and diminish administrative delays. DHA Chief Executive Officer Anthony Lenayara discussed this during a Capital In The Morning interview, addressing concerns about outpatient access through Social Health Authority (SHA) amid criticisms from Nairobi County Chief Officer Geoffrey Mosiria. Lenayara affirmed SHA's ongoing function and clarified the distinction between SHA's role in social health insurance management and the DHA's responsibility for digital health infrastructure. The agency, established under the Digital Health Act 2023, safeguards sensitive health data, ensures seamless information exchange, and standardises digital processes to boost healthcare accessibility. Lenayara emphasized that patients should transition between Level 2 to Level 4 facilities for routine outpatient care rather than directly accessing Level 5 or 6 hospitals for basic services. This approach seeks to avoid overcrowding in referral hospitals, ensuring critical cases receive timely attention.",
  "summary": "“If you're a patient as you walk in from Hospital A to Hospital B, you will want to walk with your records. You don't want to have repeated tests. You will want the doctor to see your history, and that is happening across the world,” he said.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}