- The government entered a contract for provision of a comprehensive cover for employees the agencies through NHIF from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
- It covers up to five children or legally adopted children from zero to 21 years of age.
Image: FILE
The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has extended the National Police Service and Kenva Prisons Service comprehensive medical cover for three months.
Chief Executive Officer Dr Peter Kamunyo said the extension will run from October 1 to December 31, 2022.
“Please ensure that the beneficiaries of the scheme are assisted as they seek services in the various Health care providers across the country,” he said in a memo to all regional managers dated September 30.
The government entered a contract for the provision of a comprehensive cover for employees of the agencies through NHIF from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
It covers up to five children or legally adopted children from zero to 21 years of age.
Children from 22 years to 25 years shall be covered if fully dependent on the principal member and enrolled in full-time post-secondary education.
Children or dependents with disability wholly dependent on or living with the principal member, registered with the National Council of Persons with Disability, shall not have an age limit.
According to Karanja Kibicho, the Principal Secretary for Interior and Citizen Services, the move is part of the state’s systematic efforts to institutionalise a welfare and protection programme for the officers who have to contend with life-changing situations through the course of their duties.
Kibicho added that the entities were strictly guided by the existing public procurement procedures.
The agreement was a culmination of lengthy deliberations and consultations among the key stakeholders, who settled on the intra-government contracting model.
This was with a view to addressing the escalating claims of unpaid life insurance and annuity benefits to service members or their designated beneficiaries.
According to the PS, the ultimate goal is to harmonise the insurance policy benefits of the officers with those of other civil servants and tailor them to address the vulnerabilities of the surviving families of those who lose their lives in the line of duty.
To further caution officers, the state will launch a Trust Fund for the welfare of the families of police officers killed on duty.
In June, Kibicho said the government had set aside Sh200 million to offset hospital bills for police officers who had exhausted their annual NHIF cover limits.
Under the arrangement, police officers who exhaust their yearly benefits but still need medical services are required to make ex gratia claims through a committee constituted by the Inspector General.