Move to enrol Kisii county employees under private medical cover criticised

Kisii Governor Simba Arati. [Sammy Omingo, Standard]

More than 5,600 Kisii county government workers have been enrolled in private medical coverage, abandoning the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

A letter dated December 6, 2023, signed by the county's executive for Finance and Economic Planning, Kennedy Abincha, says M/S Trident Insurance will provide comprehensive cover for the executive staff.

"The county treasury successfully floated the tender bid. Consequently, we have entered into a contract for the year 2023/24 for medical cover for the staff," reads the letter.

Last week, the majority of the staff obtained forms from their respective departments to provide their details.

This development occurs as counties prepare for Universal Health Coverage (UHC), expected to revolutionise access to primary healthcare. UHC also aims to ensure access to quality health care by enhancing capacity in both structure and resources to meet the needs of the population.

The new medical scheme for Kisii is intended to replace the NHIF Comprehensive Cover, which the county's 5,600 employees have utilised since 2014.

Replacing NHIF

Various unions had opposed the move to replace the NHIF medical cover, saying it was superior compared to the private ones.

On October 12, Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union Nyanza secretary general Aggrey Orwenyo wrote to the county secretary and Head of Public Service to renew the NHIF comprehensive cover.

The NHIF 2022/23 cover lapsed on October 29, 2023.

Dr Orwenyo said they had consulted their members and done a comparative analysis with the counties that have ventured into private medical insurers and concluded that the NHIF comprehensive cover/enhanced scheme was advantageous.