The Social Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Mercy Mwangangi/HANDOUT

The Social Health Authority (SHA) has extended the deadline for healthcare facilities to migrate to approved digital Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) by one month, giving providers until November 30 to complete the transition.

The extension follows requests from healthcare providers who had not completed the migration from the SHA Provider Portal, with the authority warning that access to the existing platform will be deactivated once the new deadline lapses.

In a joint notice issued on Friday, SHA and the Digital Health Agency (DHA) said the additional time would allow facilities to finalise the process and avoid disruptions in the delivery of services to patients.

“The additional month gives facilities that have not yet completed the transition enough time to finalise the migration process and ensure a smooth transition,” the agencies said.

The two agencies described the progress made so far as significant, particularly among public health facilities, where all Level 2 to Level 4 institutions have successfully migrated.

According to the latest figures, 6,427 public Level 2 to Level 4 facilities have completed the transition, representing 100 per cent compliance.

Among public Level 5 hospitals, 22 out of 28 have migrated, representing 79 per cent, while 190 of the 518 faith-based organisation facilities have completed the process, equivalent to 37 per cent.

A total of 371 private facilities have also successfully transitioned, although the notice did not provide the overall number of private facilities expected to migrate.

SHA and DHA said the progress reflected healthcare providers' commitment to establishing an integrated digital healthcare system.

“All healthcare providers are hereby notified that access to the SHA Provider Portal will be deactivated effective 30 November 2026,” the notice stated.

The agencies cautioned that facilities that fail to migrate by the deadline risk losing access to the platform, potentially affecting service verification, pre-authorisation and claims submission and processing.

Such disruptions, they warned, could affect the timely delivery of healthcare services to beneficiaries under the Social Health Authority.

The migration is part of the government's broader digital health transformation agenda, which seeks to improve efficiency, accountability and integration in the management of healthcare services.

Under the new arrangement, facilities are required to use approved HMIS platforms to manage their operations and integrate with the national digital health infrastructure.

The Digital Health Agency said it would continue offering technical support to facilities still experiencing challenges with the migration.

The assistance includes onboarding, system integration, troubleshooting, user training and coordination with HMIS vendors to resolve outstanding implementation issues.

Facilities requiring support have been asked to contact the agency through its helpdesk email, [email protected] , or its toll-free line, 147.

They are required to provide their facility names, contact persons' details and a brief description of the challenges they are facing to facilitate assistance.

The agencies also sought to reassure providers that the transition would not affect claims already submitted through the existing portal.

“Healthcare providers are further assured that claims already submitted through the SHA Provider Portal will continue to be processed in accordance with the applicable requirements,” they said.

SHA chief executive officer Dr Mercy Mwangangi and DHA chief executive officer Eng Antony Lenaiyara urged facilities yet to migrate to use the extended period to complete the process.

The November 30 deadline is being treated as the final transition date, with providers expected to ensure their systems are fully operational before access to the existing portal is withdrawn.