NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 31 – The National Police Service (NPS) and the Kenya Prisons Service have ended their comprehensive medical coverage with the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for being too costly.
NHIF had made a bid for the renewal of the contract for 2023 stating a figure of Sh9.3 billion but the National Police Service Principle Administrative Secretary Bernice Lemedeket notified the provider that their bid was unsuccessful.
“We regret to inform you that your bid was unsuccessful for the reasons that it was not the lowest technically responsive bid in the financial evaluation,” she said in a letter addressed to NHIF boss on December 16, 2022.
She subsequently disclosed that a consortium of health providers led by CIC General Limited Insurance had been awarded the tender after bidding at a cost of Sh8.6 billion.
Others are Old Mutual General Insurance Kenya Limited and Britam General Insurance.
Consequently, NHIF Chief Executive Officer Peter Kamunyo in an internal memo dated December 30, 2022, notified relevant departments to facilitate a smooth transition as the current contract lapses on December 31, 2022.
The NHIF contract expired in September but was extended up to December 31, 2022.
“Directorates of Beneficiary and Provider Management and ICT should liaise and ensure the transition takes place smoothly and efficiently by having the system programmed appropriately for an automatic transition,” he said.
He further notified Regional Managers and Branch Managers to inform all healthcare providers within their jurisdictions of the transition and advise the health providers to notify beneficiaries of the police service and the prison officers on ongoing treatment accordingly.
In addition, he noted, all other service providers such as those offering emergency evacuation services should also be adequately notified by the relevant Directorate/Departments.
“In that regard, all notifications to healthcare providers and other service providers should be done by close of business today, 30th December 2022,” he said.
The NHIF cover covered up to five children or legally adopted children from zero to 21 years of age.
Children from 22 years to 25 years were covered if fully dependent on the principal member and enrolled in full-time post-secondary education.
