Hospitals that have not yet moved to approved digital record systems have one more month to do so after the Ministry of Health pushed the migration deadline to November 30, 2026, warning that the Social Health Authority (SHA) Provider Portal will be switched off on that date.

In a statement released on Friday, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the one-month extension followed requests from healthcare providers and the progress made so far. The previous deadline lapsed on October 30.

"Access to the SHA Provider Portal will be deactivated effective 30 November 2026," Duale said, adding that facilities which fail to migrate by the final deadline risk disruptions to service verification, pre-authorisation and the submission and processing of claims.

Public facilities ahead, faith-based hospitals lagging

Figures released by the ministry show a sharp gap between public and non-public providers:

  • All 6,427 public Level 2, 3 and 4 facilities have migrated, a 100 per cent completion rate.
  • 22 of the 28 public Level 5 hospitals, or 79 per cent, have moved.
  • Only 190 of 518 faith-based facilities, about 37 per cent, have completed the switch.
  • 371 private facilities have migrated, though the ministry did not say how many are expected to transition in total.

Faith-based and private hospitals handle a large share of SHA patients, particularly in rural areas and for specialised care, meaning any lockout after November 30 could affect members seeking treatment in those facilities.

What the switch involves

Under the reform, facilities must stop using the SHA Provider Portal and instead run Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) certified by the Digital Health Agency (DHA). The ministry says the systems allow patient data, eligibility checks and claims to flow directly into the national digital health platform, which it argues will curb fraud and speed up payments.

Duale said the DHA will continue to offer technical support, including onboarding, system integration, troubleshooting, user training and coordination with HMIS vendors.

SHA says claims already submitted through the Provider Portal will still be processed under the requirements that applied when they were filed.

Repeated extensions

This is the second time the government has moved the date. Hospitals were originally expected to complete the migration by September 30 before the deadline was pushed to October 30. Some private and faith-based providers have complained about the cost of acquiring certified systems and the time needed to train staff.

The ministry urged all facilities that have not migrated to use the extra month to complete the process so that SHA beneficiaries do not face interruptions in care.

Photos: The Eastleigh Voice (SHA headquarters); KBC (Health CS Aden Duale). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.