Varsity staff demand refund from NHIF
By MARYANNE GICOBI, @MaryanneGicobiUniversity staff have asked National Hospital Insurance Fund to refund the recent deductions saying they were not consulted.
Kenya University Staff Union has further said they will join other unions like Kenya National Union of Teachers and Trade Union of Congress Kenya to call a strike in the event that new rates are not revoked.
They have given the government an ultimate of two weeks, failure to which they will continue pursuing the matter in court.
KUSU, through their Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya also faulted the public health insurer for calculating the deduction on gross pay instead of basic pay, saying that method of calculating was ‘grossly unprocedural.’
Calculating the monthly premium on gross pay which is higher than basic pay as it is inclusive of allowances, results to a higher premium being paid by the worker.
“The new rates have severely reduced the take-home pay of most university staff, NHIF board acted in bad faith, pretending to have consulted the stakeholders whereas they had already implemented the new rates,” said Dr Mukhwaya.
The new rates, which come into effect at the end of last month, require workers earning Sh 5,999 to pay Sh 150 which is the lowest deduction and those earning above Sh 100,000 to pay Sh 1,700, those self-employed are paying Sh 500 up from Sh 160 a month.
The rates previously ranged between Sh 30 and Sh 320 for salaried workers.
NEW RATES
Further, the secretary general said that it was paradoxical for government to implement new rates whereas they did not contribute to the scheme.
Dr Mukwaya also questioned on the capacity of the hospitals that NHIF published to offer the services saying they lacked the ability to handle the work force
The NHIF published the list of more than 1,500 public, private and faith-based health service, but Kenya Association of Private Hospitals have disowned the list insisting they had not struck a deal with the public health insurer.
Some of the hospitals listed are Nairobi, Aga Khan and Gertrude’s Children Home.
Dr Mukwaya said that NHIF had not assured Kenyans that they will use the fund prudently and not misappropriate as they did some years back.
“NHIF has been involved in scandalous projects, and if they were corrupt with the little cash we gave them, what about the lots of money they have collected,” Dr Mukwaya posed.
The NHIF has since said it has collected Sh1.5 billion against a target of Sh2.3 billion and that the money is being accumulated as a capitation pool from which hospitals chosen by contributors will be paid.