Atwoli urges civil servants to enroll for SHIF

Central Organisation of Trade Unions Secretary General Francis Atwoli addresses a past function. [File, Standard]

Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) has urged civil servants to enroll for the new health scheme, Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).

Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli implored the Kenyan workers to embrace the new scheme under Social Health Authority (SHA).

Atwoli said SHIF is more inclusive and addresses most gaps in the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).  In a statement on Thursday, Atwoli said SHIF is designed to enhance financial protection of workers by improving packages including maternal and child clinics.

"SHIF will make healthcare more equitable. It will ensure that low-income earners contribute less and, in many cases, access healthcare for free, thus reducing inequalities in healthcare access and cost," he said. "Reducing out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare is a crucial part of this protection, and the SHA stands as a key instrument in this endeavor," he added.

Cotu's plea comes a week after court allowed SHA to proceed with roll out of the medical scheme scheduled for October 1, pending full hearing of the case challenging SHIF.

“In these complex circumstances, we are inclined to grant a stay as the High Court decision is reviewed by this court, pending an authoritative ruling on the validity of the three statutes,” ruled the appellate court.

Earlier, the High Court had declared null and void some sections of the Social Health Insurance Act, a decision which then established SHA unconstitutional.

However, while some quotas are opposed to the cover, Atwoli has endorsed it maintaining that the programme will take care of the low-income earners.

"SHIF premiums are notably lower for low-cadre workers compared to those charged by NHIF. This adjustment directly benefits the majority of our members who are paid between sh15,000 to sh35,000," he said.

The Cotu boss assure that as a member of the SHA board, he will champion for workers interests and ensure that the contentious issues surrounding the health scheme are addressed and necessary adjustments made.

"We will continue to engage with the public and the relevant authorities to make improvements where necessary," Atwoli said.

"The contradiction and misinformation about SHA, and what it will offer, are not a huge concern to the Kenyan workers," he added.

"I wish to call upon all Kenyan workers to enroll to SHA so as to not only have access to the benefits, but also hold the Authority accountable in case services are not provided," he stated.

He said that Cotu cannot continue sitting on the fence and complaining about a dysfunctional health care system.

"We must all join, contribute and, most importantly, demand for accountability," Atwoli said.