Published On: Fri, Jan 6th, 2012
Kenya / News |

Kenya’s Civil servants to benefit from new medical cover

By Bryan Tumwa

Pic: Minister Dalmas Otieno and PS. Titus Ndambuki

Public service minister Dalmas Otieno (right) with his Permanent Secretary Mr. Titus Ndambuki during a past press conference. Photo courtesy of www.kenyaradarlive.co.ke

The government has rolled out a new medical Insurance cover to provide health security to civil servants and members of the disciplined forces.

Announcing the move, Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno said the government was living up to its obligations to provide affordable health care for its citizens.

“Government in fulfillment of its obligation as an employer, to ensure access to quality health care, has introduced a comprehensive medical insurance cover for its employees and their eligible dependants,” Said Mr. Otieno.

It all came to effect on the 1st of January 2012 and is expected to reduce the burden of meeting medical expenses by a majority of Kenyan employees who may ill afford the costs.

“The cover is expected to bring relief to civil servants and disciplined services who over the years have had to meet high costs of medical bills from their own resources in most cases.” Said Mr. Otieno during the announcement.

The insurance cover will be administered by the National hospital insurance fund; but this came after the short-listed consortium of private medical insurance companies failed to meet the threshold amount set by the Government.

“The Government, in fulfillment of its obligation under the Employment Act 2007 and the Constitution of Kenya 2010, to ensure access to quality health care has introduced a comprehensive medical insurance cover for its employees and their eligible dependants,” Said Mr. Titus Ndambuki, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of public service.

Those covered under the plan include a minimum of three children of the principal holder, with possibilities of additional children through a separate arrangement with NHIF.

“It caters for the principal member, spouse, and three children less than 18 years of age and up to a maximum of 25 years if still a full time student in school or college,” Mr. Ndambuki said.

Civil servants are to surrender their monthly medical allowance starting January 2012 to go towards the scheme. The lowest paid civil servant is therefore going to have to forego the KSh375 monthly allowance while the rest of the job groups will lose up to KSh2, 940 for the highest paid civil servant.


Bryan Tumwa

Bryan Tumwa has contributed 162 awesome article(s) for The Openbook Blog.

Bryan Tumwa is a bilingual editor. He is an avid lover of the arts, more so modern art which includes creative writing, animations and graphics. His interests include blogging, reading, socializing and playing FIFA on his PC.

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  • buguta dzeha

    I am a civil servert workng with the ministry of public health and sanitation.I am trying to get the site where i can see the health facility which have been allocated to me and my family by the NHIF but in vain

    • http://www.facebook.com/tumwab Bryan Tumwa

      According to the NHIF Chief Executive officer Mr. Richard Kerich, the Institutions assigned previously were only but guides to where Civil servants can access treatment. Therefore, all those under this new medical cover are free to choose the hospital they want. Therefore for transfers and such kinds of instances, it would be prudent to advice NHIF of a transfer if it takes place so that a different hispital can handle the medical insurance.

  • chepkemoi kerich

    would like to know Hospital allocated

  • ambeyi

    why is your site not showing the names of civil servants vie their hospitals.FROM A CONCERNED MEMBER

  • samson obuya arogo

    hospital recommended for my treatment

  • Kennedy Ochieng’ Onyango

    I have checked the NHIF hospital allocation and have some loose bits of information that need clarification.
    1. I work in Bungoma Central District yet I have been allocated a hospital in the remote part of Bungoma East District (Misikhu Mission Hospital)
    2. The allocated hospital wound up business long time ago. There are no facilities and thus no services
    3. In going to the facility I will be passing so many other facilities on the way. Is there a provision for fare while seeking treatment
    4. Should an Officer covered under the scheme fall seek out of duty station and away from the allocated facility, what is the way forward?

  • eric noah

    your website is disfunctional

  • CANT FIND THE HOSPITAL ALLOCATED FOR ME AS A CIVIL SERVANT.

    want to find the hospitals allocated for me as a civil servant.also would like to know if the scheme is effective right away or at a later date.pleaqse enlighten me,thank you.

  • gladys wangui munge

    i would like to know my hospital

  • ANTHONY NZUKI WAMBUA

    cant find the hospital allocated pliz assist

    • http://www.facebook.com/tumwab Bryan Tumwa

      According to the NHIF Chief Executive officer Mr. Richard Kerich, the Institutions assigned previously were only but guides to where Civil servants can access treatment. Therefore, all those under this new medical cover are free to choose the hospital they want

    • DAVID MOKAYA

      My son had a tooth problem this month. When i took him to the clinic,i was told dental problems are not covered by the out patient medical scheme for civil servants.I do not understand this as we have not been enlightened on what the scheme covers/what it does not cover.

  • nyabidi

    why should i select the hospital of choice when we are transferred regularly?

  • regina

    cannot find hospital allocated

  • Kamau

    I cannot find the website to view my hospital. If Im lucky not to fall sick in a year, is there a bonus?

  • LILIAN NAFULA KAKAI

    I would like to know which hospital am allocated as a civil servant.

  • ccaroline muchangi

    please can’t find the hospital i have been allocated to.please help.so many civil servants complaining of the same.please can we get a print out in the daily nation before the deadline to change.thanx

  • benjamin

    i would like to know where i am assigned

  • Rose W. Kilemba

    Thanks for your efforts of updating us. But the hospital I am assigned is CLINNIx which hospital is this and the category. The now that we have East Africa integration how can my child benefit from my NHIF if he is a student in one of the East African Countries. KINDLY ADVISE

  • Nyaga

    Can a civil servant pay more to enhance his medical cover benefits?
    For example can NHIF consider having: Gold, Silver and bronze covers like other insurance health schemes for those seeking enhanced benefits?
    Also please clarify whether it is true that senior officers can go to ANY private hospital of their choice (out side the allocated) for out patient services.

  • Carol Nyagah

    Thanks for considering us to the New Medical Cover. But my worry is; I think a civil servant is supposed to get medical cover from all Government Hospitals as far as one is in the service. This is because one may fall sick while on official duty outside e.g. Mombasa, and let say one lives in Nairobi, does it mean that one has to travel all the way to his/her allocated health Centre? Please check on this.

  • David Waga

    This is one of the best things the Government has attempted to do for its employees we r happy. But my problem is accreditation and classification of hospitals it not clear, before if u went to Agha Khan only Kshs 1800 per day was paid from the Kshs 320 contibution, what happens now? ifi do how much will be paid? the accredidted hospitals may not be offering all the services a familiy may require especially pediatric treatment what happens if the facility u select does not offer what u may need especially for families with young children.When u r out of station on offical duty n u fall ill away from your selected facility what happens?

  • peris

    put all the information of civil servants in a data bank of hospitals recognized by nhif to enable one walk in a hospital and be treated as long as on produces the nhif card/number

  • Mbae

    please help me find the hospital assigned to. Do something to your website it is not opening.

  • Judith Shirotsa

    Would like to know hospital allocated to me for treatment

  • shadrack baariu

    something is wrong with this site,i cannot see the hospital im allocated to.

  • javan

    The gvt should print a list of all the hospitals that accept NHIF cards and advice the civil servants to visit any that is nearer to them for convenience.

  • Herman Muhoma

    stop confusing us tell us which hospital we are attached to.

  • PERIS

    am unable to upload online. help

  • Norman Muchori

    The hosptal allocated to me Clinix Healthcare malindi is far away from my work station i.e. kilifi. You mean if I & my family fall sick we should travel all the way to Malindi!I ‘ll be dead b4 one of us reaches the hospital! Can someone up there rectify this anomaly. One should be allowed to visit a hospital of ones choice accredited by NHIF.

  • joyce chepkirui

    please let me know hospital allocated my membership no is 2042160

  • phanice

    I work in Lodwar my question is in case you fall seek out of your accredited hospital what happens? Also for those civil servant who working away from their families how can you accredit hospitals to both the contributor and the beneficiaries.

  • http://www.nhif.or.ke Tairus Kea Ziro

    I need to know my NHIF allocated hospital/s. I work in Nairobi while my family lives in Kilifi. Secondly, am i able to update my cover at the moment?

  • zadock

    Good idea.I have checked the lists for hospital allocation but my name is missing.Where can i access this details and be able to get the services.thanks

  • Philip Mahichi

    I do not Know the hospital i am allocated to
    i stay in Nairobi and my family is in Kakamega, is it possible for nhif to allocate two hopital to me one in Kakamega and another one in Nairobi?

  • Mukuru Julia Karimi

    The process of checking the hospitals allocated is hectic can the management do something about it. Let them give us the hospitals the recommend and when one fell sick in which ever place can be treated in any of the recommended hospitals and the hospitals to claim to the NHIF as they normally do to avoid the confussion of allocations. Coz I can imagine that if my allocated hospital is in Nairobi and am in an official duty in Mombasa or Kisumu and fell sick there what will happen? Travel back to my allocated hospital or get treated to the nearest selected NHIF hospital. Please formulate good policies to help civil servant. Also you can consult the TSC medical scheme which is very effective and the former ECK also had a wonderful medical scheme where by members visited the nearest selected hospitals but not allocations to specific hospitals.

  • Pingback: NHIF Accredited Hospitals And Allocations To Civil Servants | The Openbook Blog

  • RAPHAEL OCHIENG OWIRA – RAPHCOOWIRA

    The hospitals listed for civil servants medical scheme are not binding, in that people are restricted to seek what they could not hard used , if the scheme was not in place. Please could you allow all middle class hospital to be used by all without segregation. Eg, All Provincial/district Hospital, Middle class Mission Hospitals and selected private hospitals

  • Mlika Mwizi

    This scheme is slowly turning into a scam and its no wonder that we are having hard time getting the services needed. see the article posted on this blog

    http://freelancegynae.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/are-we-staring-at-the-biggest-scam-ever-in-healthcare/

    go to end of blog to see whats really haappening

  • lucie

    i think its time to learn to appreciate n stop criticizing coz i was allocated clinixx and i took my kid there .they have very good doctors.n coz my kid had to be addmited i was reffered to a pediatrician in Nairobi west Hospital.infact they had to use an ambulance from the Hospital.she was admitted n a bill of close to 60000 and i didnt pay a cent.i found their services very good.

  • JOSEPH WAMWAGO.

    why cant the new NHIF scheme be put like that of in patient that we have been enjoying previously.

  • mbugua george k

    am a teacher employed by the t.s.c in kikuyu district kiambu county,are teachers covered under the out patient scheme .if yes which hospitals can one access the services

  • kamau

    NHIF sucks

  • beatrice

    i had visited the Jamaa hospital in buruburu and told me that they accept NHIF card but in the real sense the NHIF offices say its not accridated to it. Stop confusing us and frustrating us at the same time.

  • wanjiru

    Am wondering how the medical scheme is different from the normal nhif?I wud like to know if a member can be assisted in chemotherapy which is costing for 300,000 for drugs only per cycle and there are 6 cycles required and surely shes a contributer and the husband too but they dont have that kind of money

    • http://www.facebook.com/tumwab Bryan Tumwa

      Following the allegations of corruption in the scheme’s execution, the plans for its implementation have been suspended indefinitely. However the difference between the previous package and the new one is that the current one seeks to promote universal affordable healthcare for all. It would have covered both in patient and outpatient care.
      It is not yet clear though how far the scheme will go in financing medical bills associated with chemotherapy. At the moment, we will have to wait and see whether a review will be done and what kind of cover will be provided depending on contributions.

  • mercy wanja njiru

    i dont know the hospital i have been allocated and is the scheme working or when will it start.thankyou.

    • http://www.facebook.com/tumwab Bryan Tumwa

      Thank you Mercy for visiting. The scheme stands suspended for now until when the corruption allegations are investigated and disposed of. The scheme was originally crafted with the ordinary Kenyan in mind so it will definitely be revived but ‘when’ is a question no one from the health ministry or government is willing to commit to at the moment.

  • STEVE

    INDICATE MEDICAL ALLOWANCE IN PAYSLIP SO THAT WE CAN BE REMBERING THE AMOUNT GOVERNMENT HAD ALLOCATED TO EACH

  • rose

    nice piece bryan..bravo

    • http://www.facebook.com/tumwab Bryan Tumwa

      Thank you @ Rose

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