Wednesday, June 20, 2012

NHIF issues new list of clinics


NHIF issues new list of clinics

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In an advertisement published in local media on Sunday and Tuesday, the NHIF directed civil servants and members of the disciplined forces to seek medical help from any provider in the list.
Photo|FILE In an advertisement published in local media on Sunday and Tuesday, the NHIF directed civil servants and members of the disciplined forces to seek medical help from any provider in the list. 
By PETER LEFTIE pmutibo@ke.nationmedia.com AND ESTHER MWANGI ewmwangi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Tuesday, June 19  2012 at  22:30
The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) has published a list of more than 600 hospitals and clinics that will offer outpatient medical services to civil servants and members of the disciplined forces.
The health facilities will replace Clinix Healthcare Ltd and Meridian Medical Centre which have been suspended from the medical scheme. (READ: NHIF was warned of ‘ghost’ clinics)
In an advertisement published in local media on Sunday and Tuesday, the NHIF directed civil servants and members of the disciplined forces to seek medical help from any provider in the list.
The move was welcomed by the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) secretary-general, Mr Francis Atwoli.
Mr Atwoli maintained that the two suspended healthcare providers should not be allowed to continue offering services to civil servants until investigations into the alleged scandal were completed.
“I am opposed to the idea of channelling public funds to institutions such as Clinix and Meridian,” he said.
The two health service providers are at the centre of investigations into alleged irregularities in the medical scheme for public servants.
The investigations are being jointly conducted by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Criminal Investigation Department. NHIF announced the suspension of Clinix and Meridian last Friday.
The new list of health service providers that will serve civil servants and members of the disciplined forces from July 1 to the end of September has been circulated to all heads of human resource in all ministries.
Sent to ministries
The Union of Kenya Civil Servants has also been furnished with the list. Mr Atwoli noted that Kenya lacked a national strategic plan on income and wages, social security and infrastructure development.
He stated that all national governments were expected to extend social protection for their citizens including an all-inclusive social security scheme in Kenya.
“NHIF and the National Social Security Fund only offer social protection services to its contributing members, other Kenyans are not catered for.
“Cotu is ready to sit down and agree with NSSF and NHIF on how social services should be provided to all Kenyans because they have already paid for these services through taxes,” he said on Tuesday.
But the Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) executive secretary for Nairobi County, Mr Wilson Asingo, on Tuesday criticised the suspension of Clinix and Meridian, saying the clinics were the “most convenient” for Nairobi members.
“Most of the new clinics lack a wider geographical spread and thus inhibit transferability of services,” says the union’s letter to NHIF’s acting chief executive officer.

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