Speaker Wetangula urges Health ministry to fix teachers’ SHA woes

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has urged the Ministry of Health to address challenges teachers are facing under the new Social Health Authority (SHA) medical scheme.

Speaking to teachers from Bungoma at his home on Saturday, Wetangula said the issues raised, which are preventing them from accessing quality medical services under the new scheme, are valid and need practical solutions.

He noted that the ministry should ensure teachers receive full benefits from the scheme.

Wetangula also asked teachers to be patient, saying he has personally taken up the matter to ensure a lasting solution and prevent the industrial action they have threatened.

“Tayari nimetumia Aden Duale message ya kwamba on Tuesday morning akuwe kwa ofisi yangu saa mbili asubuhi, nimungeleshe mambo ya matibau ya walimu,” he said.

Through their leaders, the teachers expressed frustration with the current scheme, saying it has made it harder to access quality healthcare.

Other challenges they raised included high out-of-pocket costs and a lack of comprehensive cover compared to previous schemes.

They also called for the removal of co-payments, better access to specialised care, and the inclusion of more specialised hospitals in the scheme.

MPs Catherine Wambilianga and Martin Pepela said teachers should not be left to suffer under the scheme.

Wambilianga said they will push the matter in Parliament to ensure teachers benefit from the scheme.

On the new education system, teachers led by the Bungoma Kenya Secondary Schools Headteachers Association chairman, Robert Nabiswa, called for the employment of enough teachers to handle learners in Grade 10 and Junior Secondary School.