SHA adds more salt to Teachers wounds

Dr. Nancy Macharia in a past event 

The Social Health Authority (SHA) has declined to accept teachers in its portal stating that it does not have enough funds to accommodate the 360,000 teachers.

Teachers Service Commission CEO Nancy Macharia, while speaking before National Assembly Education Committee, stated that despite their efforts to bring on board teachers onto SHA after being informed by SHA officials that they were neither structurally ready nor financially equipped to handle the massive teacher population.

“Last year when we had issues with MINET, our aim was to transition our teachers to SHA. We have always wanted to have our teachers under the national insurer even during the NHIF days,” said Macharia, revealing that AON forces them to remit 20 billion which is expensive,while SHA is proposing a huge amount meaning that they will not be bonafide members of the scheme.

“We held a meeting with SHA before renewing our contract with MINET for this financial year and they told us that they didn’t have enough structures. They said they would need 37 billion to enroll our teachers, but even then, they were not ready to listen to anything less than the money, “she added.

There have been cries for help amongst teachers about the quality and accessibility of healthcare services provided under the current 20 billion Minet insurance contract. They have reported long delays, lack of approval or in some cases outright denial of treatment. This was reflected in a past incidence where a teacher was isolated for three months due to unpaid hospital bills despite having insurance. Committee Chairperson Julius Melly aired his frustration by referring to the insurance as a very unusual one. He termed it a mess and lacking coherence and stated the need to move away from it.

Luanda Member of Parliament Dick Maungu also raised concerns about the current insurance system. He noted that the centralized approval process for treatment was overwhelmed leading to delays for many teachers.

“With Bliss Health Care as the main capitator and considering the large number of teachers, it becomes challenging for them to manage approval promptly leading to delays. Why can’t we cluster teachers to streamline the process? That would ease the burden and ensure faster response times,” he suggested arguing that the current centralized system is ineffective.

While acknowledging these challenges, Macharia emphasized that the main barrier to adequate healthcare for teachers was inadequate funding. She called on the committee to allocate more funds to TSC reiterating that teachers need the best medical services and this can only be possible if they had enough funding. She further urged that the disbursements should be timely so as not to worsen the situation.

Despite numerous attempts to curb it, the issue of insufficient health coverage for teachers remains a thorn in the flesh. With the current MINET contract set to end in a year and SHA struggling with operational readiness, teachers’ health coverage remains a pressing issue that requires sustainable efficient and humane solutions. Without the right measures taken, the future of teacher’s medical insurance remains uncertain.