Police officers across the country are unable to access National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) services. This is after being turned away by several hospitals, and some forced to deep into their pockets for health services.
Several police officers who spoke to The Standard on Monday morning have confirmed that indeed the hiccup started last week.
They have also disclosed that their employer, National Police Service has advised them to seek medical services in public hospitals instead of private ones.
"I have been forced to travel to Nairobi from Emali for medication at Kenyatta National Hospital since the private hospitals around my area are not able to offer me the services sighting a hitch between them and NHIF," One of the officers based in Sultan Hamud said.
When reached for comment, the Police Spokesperson Resila Atieno Onyango confirmed the same saying that it is an issue that is being worked on currently.
"Yes, we are aware of the issue and it has to do with renewal of contracts between the service provider (NHIF) and the National Police Service (NPS). But we are working on it," Resila said.
In October, NHIF Chief Executive Officer Dr. Peter Kamunyo stated that they had extended the National Police Service and Kenya Prisons Service comprehensive medical cover for three months running from October 1 to December 31, 2022.
The same was communicated in a memo to all NHIF regional managers "Please ensure that the beneficiaries of the scheme are assisted as they seek services in the various Health care providers across the country."
In May this year, the Insurance Fund was on the spot over Sh600 million spent on security officers who had exceed their medical insurance.
The former Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho informed the National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee that NHIF was unable to provide the payment schedules of the beneficiaries of the Sh200m allocated annually by the Ministry.
Documents seen by The Standard confirm that the Interior Ministry entered into a Sh4.78b contract with NHIF for a comprehensive medical scheme targeting 131,816 security personnel in the Prisons department, Kenya Police and the Administration Police.
The scheme covers up to 5 children from zero to 21 years of age while those between the age of 21 to 25 expected to be covered if fully dependent on the principal member and enrolled in full-time post-secondary education.
