NAIROBI, Kenya Sept 17 – The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) is calling on Parliament to increase funding for the Social Health Authority (SHA) to ensure timely payments to hospitals under the new universal health coverage model.KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Bhimji Atellah said the current allocation to the SHA is insufficient, given the growing number of patients seeking care, especially from the informal sector, where contributions remain low.He noted that the SHA has processed more patient claims in its first year than the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) did in the same period, putting additional pressure on the system and delaying reimbursements to health facilities.SHA CEO Dr. Mercy Mwangangi confirmed the surge in enrolment, saying 26 million Kenyans have registered so far. However, only about 890,000 contributors are from the informal sector, with an additional 4 million from the salaried workforce.Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, Mwangangi revealed that the contributory fund has collected Ksh.70 billion since its inception.The Social Health Authority is tasked with managing Kenya’s social health insurance programmes under the government’s universal health coverage plan.