Members of Parliament have approved a report compelling the Health ministry to direct Kemsa to release all PPEs at their stores.
According to the report by the Health Committee, within 14 days the Ministry of Health should review the status of the personal protective equipment being held by Kemsa with a view to distributing the same to all public hospitals.
Thereafter all public hospitals will not charge any Kenyan citizen admitted in their facilities in the cost of personal protective equipment used while undergoing treatment.
Within the next 14 days, the Ministry should ensure that the procurement of reusable facemask worth Sh300 million for vulnerable persons in the society are procured and distributed to all students in public schools, the needy and the vulnerable persons in the country.
“Within seven days of the adoption of this report, the National Treasury and the Ministry of Health remit Sh500 million to the National Hospital Insurance Fund NHF as approved by the National Assembly in the supplemental appropriations act number two of 2020 for the provision of Group Life Insurance covered by National Hospital Insurance Fund scheme. That includes COVID-19 cover for all medical staff working in all counties and the National Referral Hospitals,” Speaker Justine Muturi said.
According to Muturi, within 21 days of receiving of the Sh500 million NHIF should ensure that all medical staff in the counties and national referral hospitals are placed under the Group Life Insurance cover.
“The scheme should be in place at the beginning of the financial year 2021-22 and the Minister of Health and the counties should make provisions of the same in their respective financial year 2021 2022 budgets,” he said.
“Within the 14 days of the adoption of this report, the Minister of Health, and the governing councils of University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Moi university and JKUAT have cleared all pending call allowances to doctors as per the collective bargaining agreement CBA, and the return to work formulae of March 14, 2017 signed between the Minister of Health, Council of governors and Kenya medical practitioners and dentists union,” Muturi added.
According to the report, in the next 14 days, the health minister with the salaries and remuneration commission should enhance the risk allowance for medical staff with a view to replacing the allowance for frontline medical staff that was initially paid for the three years and lapsed in June 2020.
Within the same period, the CS must ensure that all medical staff employed on contract for handling isolation facilities are provided with an NHIF comprehensive medical cover and further paid all salary arrears from August 2020.
The report further indicates that the ethics and anti-corruption commission be the lead agency in investigating how the Covid-19 funds have been utilised at the ministry.
