Members of Parliament have summoned the management of Minet Insurance Brokers Kenya Limited over the Sh14 billion medical cover for teachers amid complaints of poor service provision.
The National Assembly Education Committee is today expected to meet with Minet’s Managing Director Sammy Muthui over the quality of medical services offered to teachers by Bliss HealthCare (K) Limited.
In a letter dated November 21, the committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly has raised 10 issues that it wants the medical insurer to address.
Top on the list is the terms and conditions of the contract between Minet and the Teachers Service Commission TSC). MPs have also asked Minet to enumerate the insurance cover benefits provided to teachers and why there have been delays in approvals for advanced treatment or medical attention in other hospitals.
The lawmakers will also be seeking to understand the reasons why Minet is not providing medical cover directly to teachers, and why the cover for teachers is different from covers for other clients.
Further, the committee wants to know why teachers are being asked to top up Sh100 by Bliss Healthcare and being subjected to the ill-equipped health facilities before being referred to other established hospitals.
According to the letter, the MPs also want answers from the insurer on the accessibility of services provided to teachers across the country, its role in the arrangement of the medical cover and the identity of third parties involved in the cover.
“The attention of the committee has been drawn to the numerous complaints by teachers regarding the medical insurance offered to them ... In this regard, the committee is inquiring into the matter and has resolved to meet you to provide the information,” reads the letter to Mr Muthui.
“You may be accompanied by technical officers to assist you in responding to issues that may be raised by the committee members during the meeting,” it further reads.
The MPs appear to be curious about the dominance of companies associated with billionaire Jayesh Umesh Saini in the medical insurance sector and public service related tenders.
The State has established that Mr Umesh has heavy investments in medical service provision and is linked to about nine leading service providers.
In February this year, TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia, while appearing before the committee, defended the issuance of the tender to Minet saying the commission will require more than Sh2 billion per year for their members to be on the National Health Insurance Fund scheme.
Ms Macharia told MPs that they advertised for the tender and it was Minet that won and there was nothing they could do about it.
