The State Department of Public Service has proposed the establishment of the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund to supplement civil servants' Social Health Authority (SHA) benefits.
In a statement on Wednesday, November 6, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi disclosed that the fund seeks to replace the Comprehensive Medical Insurance Scheme for Civil Servants & Disciplined Services, which was effected in January 2012 and discontinued after the rollout of SHA.
"Social Health Authority facilitates access of all Kenyans to a comprehensive range of health services. A fund is proposed to enable civil servants first to receive the comprehensive range of quality health services from SHA and, once this is exhausted, proceed with the limits provided for under the comprehensive medical insurance scheme for civil servants and disciplined services (renamed Public Officers Medical Scheme),” read part of the statement.
According to Mbadi, funds recovered from medical benefits of civil servants will be directed to the fund to support the scheme.
At the same time, civil servants and all other participating public servants in the proposed Public Officers Medical Scheme will continue contributing to the Social Health Authority through payroll deductions.
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“The State Department for Public Service has now proposed the establishment of a Fund to be called the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund, which will receive funds from the medical benefits recovered being part of public officers' contractual remunerations.
"The proposed fund will finance the provision of a medical scheme for public officers in addition to the social health insurance benefit package provided under the Social Health Insurance Act. This means that the limits provided under the social health insurance benefit will have to be exhausted by a member or a qualifying dependent first before the limits under the Public Officers Medical Scheme are considered," read part of the statement.
The Treasury CS noted that the preparation of the draft Public Finance Management (Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund) Regulations, 2024, has been finalized and members of the public have been invited to submit their views on the draft.
"The comments, inputs or memoranda thereof from the general public may be forwarded to the Principal Secretary, National Treasury, P.O. Box 30007-00100, Nairobi or hand-delivered to the Office of the Principal Secretary, National Treasury Building, Nairobi, or emailed to [email protected] and copied to [email protected] to be received by 18th November, 2024 at 5.00 p.m.,” Mbadi explained.
