Outcry as teacher seeking IVF is asked for marriage certificate, but SHA says it was an error

When the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) unveiled a comprehensive health cover for teachers that included fertility treatment, thousands struggling with infertility welcomed the move as a lifeline.

For many, it meant relief from the often-prohibitive cost of treatment and renewed hope of realising their dream of becoming parents.

For one high school teacher, that hope was quickly overshadowed by controversy after she was allegedly asked to provide a marriage certificate or proof of marriage before qualifying for IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) treatment.

The optimism was soon shaken after some teachers encountered an unexpected obstacle.

"When this announcement was made, someone like me who had been on this journey was filled with a lot of hope. I was hopeful that I was going to get my baby. But my hope was diminished when I went to the hospital and was told I had to provide proof of marriage," said the discriminated high school teacher.

Jane, not her real name, is a high school teacher who has battled infertility for more than eight years due to blocked fallopian tubes.

After years of unsuccessful treatment, she had all but given up hope of becoming a biological mother.

So when SHA and KUPPET announced fertility treatment cover, she saw it as a lifeline.

But that hope was short-lived. When her doctor sought pre-authorisation for IVF treatment, the request was declined.

In its response to the hospital, SHA sent an email detailing a list of requirements for IVF pre-authorisation approval, one of which was a marriage certificate or an affidavit.

"It is discriminatory against a teacher or a woman who just wants to have her baby. There should be no conditions to access healthcare because once someone is declared infertile, it falls under healthcare matters," said the teacher.

KUPPET has condemned the requirement, accusing SHA of denying eligible members access to treatment based on conditions that were never part of the negotiated medical cover.

The union insists fertility treatment should not be tied to marital status and has vowed to fight the restriction.

"It hurts a lot when we are paying and contributing to a national health fund and being discriminated against. This is a teacher who is paying, not a spouse. If I am the contributor, it is not SHA's business to know who my spouse is. We demand that they stop asking teachers to provide proof of marriage. We get children from many sources and it is not their business," KUPPET National Gender Secretary Juliet Kimotho said.

KUPPET Deputy Secretary General Moses Nthurima added, "There is no condition we signed with SHA requiring proof of marriage. SHA is running away from shouldering the burden of treatment in that regard. Access to health is a right. What SHA is introducing is irritating irrelevancies. They should stop because we shall not accept it."

Citizen TV sought clarification from SHA, which said proof of marriage is not a requirement for accessing fertility treatment.

In a statement signed by SHA Chief Executive Officer Dr Mercy Mwangangi, the authority said: "SHA wishes to clarify that a marriage certificate is not a requirement for accessing IVF services. The reference to a marriage certificate in the communication was made in error. The hospital is advised to resubmit the request through the appropriate verification and pre-authorisation process for review."