Teachers and their families have been assured of full access to medical benefits under the Social Health Authority’s (SHA) recently launched insurance system, following concerns over exclusion and service gaps.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced that teachers will now benefit from three major health funds: the Primary Healthcare Fund (PHC), the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and the Emergency, Critical and Chronic Illness Fund (ECCIF).
“With this update, all registered teachers and their dependents qualify for healthcare coverage like any other Kenyan under SHA,” said Duale. His comments came in response to persistent worries from the education sector over limited resources and insufficient healthcare infrastructure.
However, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and teachers’ unions remain cautious.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Education Committee, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia revealed that previous attempts to enroll teachers into the SHA program struggled due to lack of funding and infrastructural weaknesses, casting doubt over how smoothly the transition can happen.
