The Social Health Authority (SHA) now says that all teachers and their dependents are eligible for the SHA benefits package, like other Kenyans.
In a statement on Saturday, April 26, the authority noted that teachers can access medical care under the Primary Healthcare Fund (PHC), Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and the Emergency, Critical, and Chronic Illness Fund (ECCIF).
“All teachers and their dependents are eligible for the Social Health Authority (SHA) benefits package under the three Funds i.e. Primary Healthcare Fund (PHC), Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and Emergency, Critical & Chronic Illness Fund (ECCIF) like any other Kenyan who is registered and contributing,” read part of the statement.
SHA also said that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) can provide complementary insurance for teachers through a valid insurance underwriter.
However, the authority made it clear that it does not manage the contemporary medical cover.
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“Employers, such as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), can provide complementary insurance for their employees for additional benefits through a valid insurance underwriter
“The Social Health Authority does not manage the TSC complimentary medical cover, which they got from a private insurance provider,” SHA stated.
Further, the authority pointed out that TSC can enroll its members in the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund, in which they will determine the complimentary benefits based on their budget.
This comes days after TSC CEO Nancy Macharia claimed that SHA declined to enroll over 360,000 teachers due to a lack of nationwide infrastructure.
While appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee, Macharia told lawmakers that TSC has always wished to enroll teachers into a public insurance scheme, but this has not been possible.
“We held a meeting with SHA before renewing our contract with Minet for this final year, and they told us they didn’t have enough structures. They said they would need Ksh37 billion to enroll our teachers, but even then, they were not ready to take them on this year,” Macharia stated.
