What You Need to Know
The Kenyan government has announced significant changes to the medical insurance scheme for teachers, eliminating co-payments at SHA-accredited facilities. This decision follows a meeting with key stakeholders, including teachers’ unions, aimed at addressing concerns over access to healthcare. The new plan expands coverage and adds more accredited hospitals, effectively averting a planned teachers
Africa-Press – Kenya. The government has moved swiftly to avert a looming nationwide teachers’ strike by announcing major changes to their medical insurance scheme under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
This follows a high-level meeting, which brought together the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), Social Health Authority (SHA), Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT).
Under the new arrangement, teachers across the country will no longer be required to make co-payments when visiting any SHA-accredited health facilities.
The teachers’ medical cover has also been expanded to include more specialised care services, while additional hospitals, including Nairobi West Hospital, have been added to the list of accredited facilities.
The day-long meeting held on Wednesday, April 22, in Mombasa delivered a breakthrough, effectively halting a strike that had been scheduled to begin next week.
Teachers’ unions had threatened industrial action over concerns about access to medical services through the SHA medical insurance scheme.
The talks were centred on longstanding grievances from teachers, particularly complaints that some healthcare providers were demanding additional payments despite comprehensive cover.
The government and the unions agreed to eliminate co-payment requirements and urged teachers to report any instances where services are denied on that basis.
“There is going to be a revision upwards to where it was on the issue of the capitation, especially on the capping of outpatient cover,” said KUPPET Secretary-General Akelo Misori.
SHA Chief Executive Officer Mercy Mwangangi warned healthcare providers against charging teachers extra fees, noting that strict action will be taken against those found violating the new directives.
“Facilities are not allowed to co-charge teachers. We have received reports that some providers are co-charging teachers. Any provider who has co-charged a teacher will face consequences,” she said.
She added that SHA is currently engaging healthcare providers to negotiate standardised tariffs that will guide the cost of services offered to teachers under the scheme.
The Social Health Authority (SHA) was established to improve healthcare access for various professional groups in Kenya, including teachers. Historically, teachers have faced challenges with medical insurance, often encountering additional fees despite having coverage. This recent decision to scrap co-payments is a response to ongoing grievances and aims to enhance the quality of healthcare services available to educators. The collaboration between the government and teachers’ unions marks a significant step towards resolving long-standing issues in the education sector’s healthcare provisions.
