Tens of thousands of teachers under the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have received relief after the Social Health Authority restored their capping fee from 1,200 to 10,000 per hospital visit.
In addition, the union struck a deal with the health authority to scrap out-of-pocket payments when accessing healthcare services, which had been the main contentious issue affecting thousands of teachers and their dependents.
The move comes after the union protested and threatened to withdraw from the health system owing to the reduced capping for outpatient services, persistent system failures, and unpaid bills and detentions.
Announcing the deal, Health Cabinet Secretary Adan Duale said the SHA had engaged with and ironed out the teething issues that teachers had raised when accessing services across healthcare facilities.
Addressing the press in Naivasha after meeting with KUPPET leadership, Duale said the SHA had also withdrawn tariff locking for teachers, which would enhance access to healthcare services.
Duale said that under the deal, teachers would not pay out of pocket for services rendered, but that the bill would be met by the SHA, whilst any additional charges would be settled by their Mwalimu health cover.
The CS cautioned health facilities against demanding cash for services offered to teachers, adding that legal action would be taken, including suspension.
“Any facility contracted by the Social Health Authority to serve teachers, the police, the prison service, and civil servants, if co-payment is demanded and evidence is provided, the Social Health Authority will suspend that facility,” said Duale.
Duale said the government aimed to streamline access to healthcare across all cadres, noting that under the SHA, teachers were now able to access specialist treatment in contracted facilities.
He added that the SHA had already contracted two principal facilities where teachers would be able to access IVF services in the country, representing a significant boost to fertility care.
In addition, the CS said that payment of funeral expenses following the death of any teacher would be processed within 48 hours.
Duale urged Parliament to expedite the Quality-of-Care Bill and the Patient Safety Bill to enhance service delivery for all Kenyans accessing healthcare under the Social Health Authority.
He assured teachers that the government would offer robust healthcare, including access to free care under primary healthcare as well as specialized care in level four and five facilities covered by the SHA.
Duale said the government was accelerating the construction of referral facilities across the country to improve access to referral and specialist treatment, whilst also improving the KEMSA drug fill rate, which currently stands at 92 per cent.
He added that union officials and SHA county officers would hold quarterly meetings to address any emerging concerns related to teachers’ access to healthcare services.
For his part, KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori welcomed the deal, which he said would bring new relief to thousands of teachers and their dependents when accessing healthcare services.
Misori said the government’s decision to reduce the hospital visit capping from 10,000 to 1,200 had severely affected teachers, many of whom had been forced to pay out of pocket.
“Reducing the capping from 10,000 to 1,200, and the issue of some hospitals asking teachers to pay out of their own pocket — particularly when visiting facilities, has now been addressed,” said Misori.
He said the union’s decision to engage with SHA officials and the Cabinet Secretary had been necessitated by escalating tensions, flare-ups, and demonstrations regarding the performance of health facilities and related service provision.
“The meeting was essentially to iron out differences, foster mutual understanding, and gather constructive feedback from the ground on what genuinely improves service provision, particularly to ensure that the system works for teachers.” Said Misori.
By Erastus Gichohi
