Kuppet denies claims it was locked out of medical scheme for teachers

Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori speaks to journalist after the court awarded teachers 50-60pc salary increment. (Photo: George Njunge/Standard)

A teachers' union has dismissed reports that its members have been locked out of the comprehensive medical scheme signed between AoN Insurance and the teachers' employer.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Eduction Teachers (Kuppet) instead said they are negotiating with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) so that only half of the monthly medical allowance for teachers is remitted to the scheme.

This, the union argued, will ensure teachers do not completely miss their medical allowance should they agree to the AoN scheme.

Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori argued that the union went to court to stop implementation of the scheme because they felt it would duplicate the services being rendered by NHIF.

"Kuppet is not locked out of any medical scheme. We are in talks with NHIF to ensure only 50 per cent of the medical allowance goes to the scheme," said Misori.

Kuppet insists it will resist any medical scheme that takes up the teachers' medical allowance. "We will not mix issues of health. Whipping up public emotions or taking to the streets will not help. We must protect the payslips of our members from being raided," said Misori.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) contracted AoN to manage the teachers' comprehensive medical cover.

A TSC circular dated May 22, 2015 says the medical scheme will apply to all teachers employed by the commission.

The circular sent to all TSC County Directors of Education says under inpatient care, the scheme shall cover hospital accommodation, doctors' fee, theatre charges, drugs or medicines, dressings and internal surgical appliance.

Also to be covered are pathology, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI Scans, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Beneficiaries will have an inpatient cover of between Sh300,000 and Sh1 million annually. Outpatient services will have no limit. Maternity cover has been pegged at a flat rate of Sh75,000, among others.

However, Kuppet is seeing mischief in the nature of this scheme thus seeking legal redress before they sign the agreement or opt out completely.

And with the union now in talks with NHIF, hopes of the inclusion of Kuppet members into the AoN multi-billion medical scheme are getting glimmer by the day.

The stand by Kuppet will set up another gruelling confrontation with its arch-rivals Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) that has indicated its members will be out of classrooms from today to protest the new NHIF rates.

Knut members, who are under the Trade Union Congress-Kenya, were asked to withdraw their labour until negotiations were concluded before the implementation of the new rates.

Kuppet has also threatened to confront TSC if it fails to honour the Industrial Court judgement on the 50-60 per cent pay increase.

Misori said TSC was given 30 days to implement the judgement failure to which they will advise their members to stay out of classroom until the pay rise is implemented.