If you do not receive a payslip from the government every month, chances are the national health insurer will not cover your medical expenses when you most need them even after dishing out hefty monthly charges to insure yourself and your loved ones.
Kenyans continue being denied health privileges they are forced to pay for every month at the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and this does not look like it is going to change, if anything the state is now turning NHIF into a ‘private insurer’ for the civil servants.
The government plans to consolidate all medical insurance covers for civil servants under the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF)
In a special gazette notice released last week, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani waived several legal conditions that will now allow NHIF extend its functions and operations to providing insurance services for the public sector.
“The Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury exempts NHIF from provisions of sections 19, 179(6), 197A and 197B of the Insurance Act for purposes of offering enhanced medical group life and last expense cover for the Kenya prisons service, county governments, county assemblies, constitutional commissions, state departments, retired presidents, vice presidents and other designated state officers and retired public servants under the Kenya Association of retired officers and former parliamentarians association,” read the notice signed by Mr Yatani.
The change in law means NHIF will now have mandate to provide medical and group life cover for civil servants, directly competing with private insurance business.
Regular citizens who are forced to pay for the services, however, still cant get any coverage at local hospitals as they are not civil servants.
A quick scroll on popular social media platforms and you will not miss hurting Kenyans complaining how hospitals refuse to accept their NHIF cards leaving them with hefty bills.
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