KMPDU Rejects Annual Ksh200,000 Contribution to Ruto’s SHIF
On Tuesday, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentist Union (KMPDU) declined the suggested yearly payment for the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
Addressing an audience in Eldoret in anticipation of a medical conference, Dr. Davji Atellah, the Secretary General of KMPDU, expressed his concern that the suggested 2.75% salary cut was excessively high.
Atellah stated that the NHIF contribution was initially Ksh 1700. However, following the Court of Appeal’s decision on Friday to lift orders hindering the implementation of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), this amount has surged to Ksh 17000, marking a tenfold increase.
During his address, Dr. Atellah pointed out that the rise would compel physicians to delve further into their funds to obtain healthcare services.
“Doctors have been under the comprehensive cover in the NHIF scheme. However, at the time of gazetting the SHIF, the comprehensive medical cover for doctors was repealed”, Atellah stated.
He observed that the introduction of the SHIF, coupled with the absence of inclusive health insurance, would prevent doctors from accessing cost-effective healthcare services that they provide to the people of Kenya.
Additionally, Atellah declared a 21-day notice of a strike for doctors in Uasin Gishu County, stating that the decentralized body was failing to fulfill its obligations outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) mutually agreed upon by both parties.
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Atellah pointed out that Uasin Gishu County had not provided adequate opportunities for career advancement to its physicians and was also compensating them less than other counties.
“We have the most qualified consultants in this county, and yet they are earning like trainees,” Atellah stated
During his address, the Secretary General of KMPDU also warned insurance firms about the potential consequences of delaying payments to doctors who operate hospitals.
Atellah observed that the problem highlighted during the hospitals’ integration into the eTIMS portal involved insurance companies frequently causing delays in payments, extending up to two years.
The KMPDU expressed its objection to the SHIF following the court’s approval for the government to enforce the Act on January 19.
The Court of Appeal revoked the High Court’s orders that prohibited the enforcement of the Act by deeming it unconstitutional.
KMPDU Rejects Annual Ksh200,000 Contribution to Ruto’s SHIF
