Kuppet asks members to be patient as it negotiates medical scheme deal

By Vitalis Kimutai

Members of a teachers union will have to wait a little longer before benefiting from a new medical scheme.

The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) is still negotiating with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) for a medical cover for 43,000 of its members in a deal that’s expected to be signed in a month’s time.

Speaking at a news conference in Nairobi yesterday, Kuppet National Chairman Omboko Milemba and Secretary General Akello Misori said the union was negotiating for a superior package for its members, most of whom are in Job Groups K to R.

"We are negotiating for a package that factors in risk profile, demographic details, age, job groups, gender and implementation timelines," Misori said.

They also noted that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had to be involved in the negotiations as it is tasked with implementing deductions for the medical cover from teachers’ salaries.

"We are also seeking to have more credible private hospitals and mission hospitals included in the cover, including Nairobi Hospital, Aga Khan, Mater, MP Shah, and referral hospitals," Misori said.

Funeral expenses

Milemba said they did not want to rush into signing a document that does not address core issues raised by members.

"It is also important that the cover includes paying a percentage of funeral expenses for our members when they pass on," he added.

Negotiation between Kuppet and NHIF started last year and the union has hired an actuarian to look at the details before the deal is signed.

The union also wants part of the contributions to be used in educating members on disease prevention.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) whose membership stands at 171,000 as per records at the TSC has already clinched a medical deal with NHIF for its members.

Mr Wilson Sossion and Mr David Osiany, the Knut national chairman and secretary general, recently led union officials in signing a deal that will see beneficiaries and their spouses covered.

Hospital charges

The in-patient cover will include hospital bed charges, doctors’ bills, anaesthetic fees, theatre fees, pharmacy and investigations reasonably incurred by an insured member. The limit for in-patient cover is 180 hospitalisation days per year.

The Knut-NHIF deal also states that the outpatient cover will include doctors’ consultation, all laboratory and imaging tests, prescriptions and dressing, all outpatient procedures and pharmacy.

Under the new health scheme, all Knut members will remit half their medical allowances to benefit from available services. Currently, teachers medical allowances range from about Sh750 to Sh4,200 per month.