Murang’a public servants have been sensitized to the enhanced benefits available to them under the newly established Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund (POMSF) within the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The exercise, which brought together about 100 public servants from various ministries, focused on the strengths and shortcomings of the fund, which offers enhanced inpatient and outpatient medical cover for public officers.
Speaking during the sensitisation exercise, SHA Assistant Director for Customer Experience, Brian Mugambi, said the authority is engaging public servants on the POMSF package while also conducting an evaluation of the 2025/2026 contract year as part of its mandate to gather client feedback.
“The POMSF offers enhanced cover for public servants for both inpatient and outpatient services,” he said.
“The exercise is meant to assess what we are getting right and where we need to improve based on feedback collected across the country,” he added.
Mugambi noted that one of the key concerns raised by members was co-charging by some health facilities.
However, he said SHA has since renegotiated terms with healthcare providers, and those onboarded have agreed to eliminate co-charging.
“The issues of co-charging and the daily cap of Sh2,500 have been resolved between SHA and the facilities, so they will no longer be a problem,” he said.
Union of Kenya Civil Servants National Treasurer Judy Wangari said the ongoing monitoring and evaluation exercise across all 47 counties aims to engage members and better understand the challenges they have faced since the inception of SHA.
She also acknowledged that co-charging had been a common concern but assured members that the issue has been addressed.
“We had challenges with facilities co-charging our members, but that has now been resolved. Members under POMSF can now access services without making out-of-pocket payments,” she said, noting that the union works closely with SHA to address such concerns.
However, Wangari criticised some ministries and state departments for delays in remitting funds meant for SHA, saying this has inconvenienced public servants who are sometimes forced to pay for treatment themselves.
“Sometimes the 2.75 per cent deducted from our members is not remitted on time, leading to cases where public servants are turned away by health facilities,” she said.
She called on all ministries and state departments to ensure timely remittance of funds so that no member is denied services despite having contributions deducted.
Murang’a County Commissioner Hassan Bule applauded the comprehensive medical cover, noting that it enables public officers to serve with dignity by reducing the need for medical fundraisers.
“Before the introduction of enhanced medical cover for civil servants, many of us had to dig deep into our pockets to afford healthcare services,” he said.
He also urged National Government Administration Officers to continue sensitising the public on the Social Health Authority to ensure those who have not yet registered can do so.
By Purity Mugo
