New fingerprint system to streamline healthcare across the country

JOAN OGOLLA-KNA

The Ministry of Health has launched a nationwide biometric health identification and verification system aimed at enhancing efficiency and accountability in healthcare service delivery across the country.

The system is designed to ensure that all Kenyans can access affordable, quality, and dignified healthcare services, regardless of their income or location.

Speaking during the launch at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH), Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the innovation will eliminate paperwork, reduce queues, curb fraud, and allow healthcare workers to spend more time with patients.

“This is a bold step in transforming healthcare. The biometric system ensures that resources are used efficiently and patients receive timely care,” he said.

The initiative marks a significant milestone in Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) journey, with implementation already underway in all Level 4, 5, and 6 hospitals including public, private, and faith-based facilities.

Rollout to Level 2 and 3 facilities is currently in progress. The system uses fingerprint authentication to verify patient identities.

So far, the government has registered more than 25 million Kenyans under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), with over 10,000 health facilities contracted.

KUTRRH submitted claims totaling Sh1.4 billion and received reimbursements of Sh1 billion, demonstrating strong uptake of the new financing framework.

He launched three additional digital tools Practice360, the National Product Catalogue, and the HIE, to drive Kenya’s transition toward a unified, digital health system.

The Practice360 App allows healthcare professionals to manage pre-authorization processes and approvals directly from their facilities. It replaces the OTP-based system and is geo-fenced to prevent unauthorized access.

“With immediate effect, SHA will no longer accept OTP-based authorization. All pre-approvals must be made through the Biometric Health ID or Practice360,” the CS said. 

The National Product Catalogue, integrated with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, will ensure that only verified, quality-assured pharmaceuticals are dispensed.

All suppliers must upload certified product data within 30 days or face deregistration. The Health Information Exchange (HIE) enables real time secure data sharing across facilities and counties.

It eliminates duplicate testing, ghost billing, and physical paperwork. Patients no longer need to carry medical records between facilities, and anyone experiencing billing issues can report them via the SHA call centre at 147.

“By digitizing claims and data, we are making every shilling count. Every diagnosis and prescription will now be tracked in real time,” he said.

Plans are underway to operationalize a Track and Trace System that will monitor pharmaceutical products from manufacturers down to the patient level.

Anchored in the Digital Health Act, the system will curb counterfeiting and improve accountability in medicine distribution.

By leveraging the National Logistics Management Information Services Platform, the tool will strengthen transparency across the entire supply chain.

“This initiative will eliminate theft, ghost claims, and fraud in the public system. By November 2025, all public hospitals in Kenya will be fully digital,” Duale said.

Twenty four counties are currently transitioning to the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS), and the Ministry of Health expects to complete the national rollout within the next 15 months.

Principal Secretary for Medical Services, Dr. Ouma Oluga, said the new system will ease administrative workloads for health workers, allowing them to focus more on delivering patient-centred care.

“Biometric verification ensures public funds go where they matter most into saving lives,” he said. Dr. Patrick Amoth, the Director-General for Health, said the system would improve patient safety by linking the right care to the right patient.

“We are building a system that works with clarity, speed, and integrity,” he said. The system is part of a broader national digital health agenda, which includes electronic health records, pharmacy integration, and the creation of a national health data exchange.