SHA Instructs TSC to Terminate Minet Contract for New Teachers’ Medical Cover

SHA Instructs TSC to Terminate Minet for New Teachers’ Medical Cover

The Social Health Authority (SHA) has requested that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) dissolve its existing medical insurance agreement with Minet Kenya and, instead, enroll teachers in the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund.

This audacious recommendation follows closely on the heels of TSC’s communication to the Parliamentary Education Committee indicating that SHA does not possess the capability to incorporate over 300,000 teachers nationwide into its healthcare framework.

Simultaneously, Parliament is advocating for TSC to rescind its contract with Minet Insurance brokers and a consortium of underwriters responsible for delivering medical cover services to teachers, characterizing the arrangement as an “amorphous structure. ”

Kibra MP Peter Orero reported that teachers have expressed grievances, claiming that during their visits to the consortium-approved hospitals, they were not provided with medication and were instead compelled to purchase the necessary drugs externally.

Orero also indicated that a majority of teachers were being denied access to health facilities, being informed that they had not been registered within the medical system.

The attempts made by the Commission’s legal representative to clarify that the contract with the consortium would conclude in November of this year, with subsequent decisions regarding teacher enrollment in the “enhanced” SHA system to be made at that time, were, however, met with disapproval and demands for the contract’s termination prior to that date.

“What type of insurance coverage is this? It resembles a mongrel. It lacks both structure and clarity. You are obtaining an insurer, a lead consortium, serving both as an administrator and a capitator. It is an exceedingly peculiar form of insurance. You must extricate yourselves from this arrangement,” stated Melly.

“We cannot maintain the same practices and anticipate different outcomes. The consortium represents an amorphous structure that fails to deliver services,” remarked Luanda MP Dick Maungu.

Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap suggested the categorization of teachers to enable access to premium healthcare services.

“As TSC initiates the termination of this contract over the next six months, teachers will endure hardships. I propose that we segment them into groups to secure them adequate insurance coverage, or we integrate them into SHA and hope for the best,” Makilap noted.

According to SHA, all teachers and their dependents qualify for the Social Health Authority (SHA) benefits package, which operates through three primary funds: the Primary Healthcare Fund (PHC), the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and the Emergency, Critical, and Chronic Illness Fund (ECCIF). However, SHA emphasizes that employers such as TSC can provide supplementary insurance for additional benefits through accredited private underwriters.

At present, TSC offers medical coverage via Minet Kenya, a private insurance entity. SHA clarified that it does not oversee the Minet cover and suggested that the commission reassess its arrangements by shifting to the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund. This transition would enable TSC to deliver complementary benefits based on a government-managed budget, rather than depending on private providers.
As it currently stands, more than 21. 6 million Kenyans have registered with SHA, with approximately 50,000 new registrations occurring each day. SHA has additionally established partnerships with over 8,000 healthcare facilities across the nation to guarantee the availability of services.

The discussion regarding teachers’ medical insurance is becoming more pronounced as apprehensions about the quality, accessibility, and administration of the existing Minet medical scheme continue to emerge. Teachers’ unions and education stakeholders have consistently highlighted concerns regarding service delays, the unavailability of medicines, and inadequate hospital experiences under the Minet scheme.

Should TSC heed SHA’s recommendations, teachers may soon witness a considerable transformation in the management of their health insurance, potentially enhancing healthcare access while simultaneously saving the commission millions in insurance expenses each year.