Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has clarified the transition from the Social Health Authority (SHA) provider portal to hospital-based Health Management Information Systems (HMIS), saying the change is aimed at reducing duplication and improving healthcare delivery.
In a press statement issued on Friday, October 2, 2026, Duale said the Digital Health Agency (DHA) had provided the SHA portal since the establishment of SHA to support healthcare providers in submitting and transmitting claims.
However, hospitals have been required to use both their own HMIS and the SHA portal. According to Duale, this has created additional administrative work and, in some cases, contributed to longer processing and waiting times for patients.
The transition is intended to make the hospital HMIS the primary system for managing healthcare services and related information.
“This is not a new system; it’s part of the already ongoing rollout of the digital super highway, and already paid for suite of SHA systems,” Duale said.
Under the new approach, hospital staff will not have to repeatedly enter or transfer the same information into separate systems. The HMIS is designed to integrate and communicate with SHA and other relevant health-sector systems.
Duale said the broader objective is to have “one hospital system that can securely communicate with the different systems supporting healthcare delivery”.
He said the approach is also based on the principle that patients should not have to navigate multiple disconnected systems to receive healthcare services.
For patients, the Health CS said integration could reduce waiting times by cutting down on duplicated data entry and administrative processes. It could also allow healthcare workers to spend more time attending to patients.
Integrated workflows are expected to make it easier to capture and access patient information without repeatedly entering the same data. Properly integrated health records could also support continuity of care by allowing authorised healthcare professionals to access relevant information when needed.
The system is also expected to improve the efficiency of admissions, consultations, procedures, billing and claims processing, while digital records could provide a clearer trail of services provided and claims submitted.
For hospitals and healthcare workers, Duale said HMIS could provide an integrated workflow and reduce duplication of work. Information captured at the point of care could flow to relevant systems without repeated manual entry.
The system could also support the management of patients, staff, facilities, supplies, medicines, equipment and financial processes.
Duale said capturing information once and using it across connected systems could improve data quality by reducing inconsistencies and errors linked to repeated data entry.
Hospital managers could also have more timely and reliable information for resource planning and service improvement, while digital records could improve visibility of services delivered, resources used and claims submitted.
For SHA and other health insurers and payers, integration could support more accurate and timely claims generated from information captured during care.
The system could also strengthen verification by linking claims more closely to patient encounters and services provided. Integrated digital records could help identify inconsistencies, duplicate claims and unusual transactions.
Duale said better-quality electronic information could support faster claims processing and payment, while aggregated data could assist health-sector planning.
“The objective is not simply to replace one portal with another,” he said. “The bigger objective is to connect the different components of the healthcare ecosystem.”
Duale acknowledged that the transition would require technical integration, adjustments and support for healthcare workers and facilities.
He said the focus should be on ensuring smooth implementation, providing necessary support to hospitals and ensuring the system delivers better services while improving efficiency and accountability across the health sector.
