Fix health scheme crisis

Access to affordable quality healthcare is a fundamental human right. This is why the government has prioritised reforms to usher in the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) to enable universal coverage of every Kenyan.

The SHIF replaces the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which has over the years been riddled with corruption and mismanagement.

However, the efforts to streamline public healthcare delivery are being hampered by logistical and financial challenges.

The medical cover for 406,635 teachers, for instance, is in limbo after the National Treasury delayed the release of Sh17.6 billion. Consequently, teachers are being forced to pay from their pockets for them and their dependents to access medical care.

Hundreds of teachers have been turned away from hospitals because the scheme’s broker cannot authorise payment, as the funds for the annual medical scheme have not yet been released. The Treasury only issued Sh5.1 billion for the first quarter of the 2023/2024 financial year, leaving a massive shortfall of Sh12.5 billion.

This has left representatives of the Teachers Service Commission, the Kenya National Union of Teachers and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers up in arms.

They want the funds released to the TSC for onward remittance so that the broker expedites payments to alleviate the suffering and humiliation teachers and their families are undergoing.

The lingering uncertainty over this medical cover is bound to affect the performance of teachers, as not everyone can raise cash from alternative sources to pay for medical treatment for themselves and their dependents.

The medical scheme covers outpatient and inpatient treatment, maternity, dental and other critical services required by the members. This is an essential commitment the Treasury, as the government agency concerned, cannot run away from. It is a vital obligation that must be discharged and, therefore, funding must be found and quickly made available.