NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 16 – The Teachers Service Commission on Monday said all 337,000 government-employed tutors will receive full medical cover under the Commission’s medical scheme for coronavirus-related ailments.
The announcement came as a relief to teachers with the health ministry having declared funding of such medical bills under the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) as unsustainable.
MoH estimates released in July reported the cost of managing asymptomatic COVID-19 case at Sh21,300 daily in a public hospital.
The Ministry said severe cases requiring supplemental oxygen cost an average of Sh51,000 per day while critical cases requiring ventilatory support cost Sh71,000 a day.
Public Health Director General Patrick Amoth explained that the major contributor to the high cost of COVID-19 treatment is the Personal Protective Equipment most of which are single-use.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has however criticized the health ministry’s financing of critical protective gear terming interventions by the Mutahi Kagwe-led ministry as inadequate.
The union issued a 21-day strike notice on Sunday citing exposure of its members to occupational hazards while handling COVID-19 cases due to the unavailability of protective gear .
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