Days after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) raised concerns that thousands of teachers could not access medical services through the Social Health Authority (SHA), the Ministry of Health has moved to clear the air, assuring all teachers that they qualify for the government-supported health programs.
In a statement released on Saturday, April 27, Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale confirmed that teachers and their dependents are fully eligible to benefit from the Social Health Authority’s services.
He explained that they can access healthcare through the Primary Healthcare Fund (PHC), the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and the Emergency, Critical, and Chronic Illness Fund (ECCIF).
“All teachers and their dependents are entitled to receive the full Social Health Authority benefits package through the three key funds: PHC, SHIF, and ECCIF, just like any other Kenyan who is registered and contributing,” Duale stated.
The CS also pointed out that employers, including the TSC, have the option to provide additional private health insurance for their employees.
This complementary cover is separate from what SHA offers and is not managed by the Authority. Duale emphasized that TSC has the freedom to enroll its employees under the Public Officer Medical Scheme Fund, depending on the budget they allocate for extra benefits.
“Employers such as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) are free to offer complementary insurance plans for their staff by working with accredited insurance providers,” he added.
He further clarified, “The Social Health Authority does not handle the TSC’s private insurance cover, which they arranged separately through a private underwriter.”
Duale’s clarification comes just two days after TSC CEO Nancy Macharia told the National Assembly that SHA had refused to onboard more than 360,000 teachers.
Speaking before the MPs on Thursday, April 24, Macharia explained that SHA had cited a lack of enough infrastructure across the country as the main reason.
According to her, the Authority said it would need Ksh37 billion to build the necessary facilities to enroll the teachers.
“Last year, after we faced challenges with Minet, we were keen on moving our teachers to SHA. We have always supported the idea of having our teachers under the national insurer, even during the NHIF era,” Macharia stated.
“We met with SHA before renewing our current contract with Minet for one more year, but they informed us they lacked sufficient infrastructure to handle our numbers. They said they would require Ksh37 billion to establish the required systems, and even then, they were not ready to accommodate our teachers this year,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Duale reported that SHA has made major progress, having already registered 21.6 million Kenyans and contracted over 8,000 healthcare facilities across the country to offer services under the new system.
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