Medical researchers are set to face hefty costs in accessing health data under the new insurance scheme if the new set of regulations under the Digital Health Act are approved.
- According to the Digital Health (Health Information Management) Regulations, 2024, independent researchers will fork out KSh 30,000 to access health information of Kenyans receiving medical care in SHA-accredited facilities.
- Students pursuing a master’s degree will pay KSh 5,000 for the data, while those doing their PhDs will pay KSh 20,000.
- Students from middle-level colleges and undergraduates will pay KSh 500 to access this information, while research institutions will part with 1% of their total research budget to access the health data.
“A request for health data in the System for research purposes shall be accompanied by an approval issued by a duly registered Institutional Review Board; a licence issued by National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation, and an approval from the health data controller, where applicable,” the regulations state.
The Digital Health Agency will facilitate the exchange of health data through the Enterprise Service Bus (ESB). The ESB will be constituted by the National Health Information Exchange, which will standardize and secure the sharing of health data between the National Health Data Bank under the Cabinet Secretary for Health and the County Health Data Banks under the corresponding CEC for Health.
Health Data Control
Health data controllers shall be onboarded on the ESB if they provide a data protection impact assessment report for the digital health solution, the particulars of the organization of the data controller, the particulars of the developer of the digital health solution, and the particulars of the digital health solution being onboarded.
It is not free, however, as the Ministry of Health outlined various fees each facility level. Level 2 and Level 3 health care providers will be charged KSh 2,000, while Level 4, Level 5, and Level 6 facilities will be onboarded if they pay KSh 20,000, KSh 50,000, and KSh 100,000 respectively.
The medical providers will need to renew licenses annually to access the data exchange platform. Level 2 and 3 providers will be charged KSh 1,000, while Level 4, Level 5, and Level 6 will pay KSh 10,000, KSh 15,000, and KSh 25,000 respectively.
Onboarding into the telemedicine platform will cost health care providers KSh 100,000 and annual licences will go for KSh 50,000. Private health insurance providers will pay half-a-million shillings, their annual licences charged at KSh 25, calculated per life per annum.
As the government gears up to operationalize the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) amidst opposition, these regulations will coagulate health information into a system that can be accessed with ease.
The Digital Health Agency will ensure health care providers share information seamlessly, also leveraging on revenue mobilisation amid wider national budget constraints. It is unclear how the Ministry of Health would collect the fees charged.
Public participation for the regulations is set to begin next week. In Nairobi, the process will happen on the 19th December at KICC.
