The Teachers Service Commission, TSC, has assured teachers that they will receive treatment for covid-19 related ailments at no cost. According to the Commission, the Minet Medical Insurance Scheme will foot costs uncured during treatment.
Here is the message from the Commission;
TEACHERS SERVICE COMMISSION MEDICAL SCHEME POSITION ON COVERAGE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Medical Scheme was launched in 2015 with a view to consolidate resources and avail a comprehensive cover to all the 328,000 teachers of Kenya, and up to five of eligible dependants/ family members.
In 2019, the TSC responded to feedback from their teachers and further enhanced the medical cover offering higher benefits and a better structure. It ensured that patients who may need critical care in the country and those who are referred abroad are well catered for without the family benefits being depleted quickly.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caught the world by surprise, leading to millions of
infections and deaths. To tackle the pandemic, the Government of Kenya put in place
robust measures to protect citizens and mitigate against the negative impacts of the
pandemic on the people of Kenya.
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The Ministry of Health has continually issued guidelines to ensure that the effects of the
disease are mitigated in the best ways possible. Additionally, other agencies such as the
Insurance Regulatory Authority and the Association of Kenya Insurers also committed
to work in support of Government efforts by offering some level of cover at the Ministry
of Health designated facilities, even where their insurance cover did expressly exclude
pandemics.
In line with this, the Minet Kenya-led Consortium in conjunction with TSC has been and
will continue to support the Government’s efforts to combat COVID-19 by ensuring that
any scheme member diagnosed with the Coronavirus and exhibits symptoms, is able
to access medical treatment at the designated scheme medical facilities. We confirm
that teachers and their dependants are covered for treatment of Covid-19 subject to the
Medical Scheme terms and conditions.
In addition to access to service, the following mitigation measures have been put in place in an effort to support teachers and their dependents and to reduce the risk of contracting the virus:
- Introduction of a COVID-19 Incidence Reporting USSD Tool *202*07# for teachers
and their dependents. - Mental Health ( Psychosocial support) tele-counselling toll-free line 0800720029.
- Allowing members to access treatment via telemedicine.
- Delivering drugs to registered chronic patients.
- Distribution of hand sanitizers to members.
- Utilising the option of OTP (One Time PIN) identification to avoid contact and likely
infection through the use of biometric fingerprint readers. - Introduction of facial and eye recognition for identification is on course for rollout
in the next two months.
We wish to call upon all members of the Scheme to take all Ministry of Health preventive measures seriously, including regular hand washing, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers,
wearing face masks and keeping social distancing. Only when all of us exercise responsible
citizenship through strict compliance to all mitigation measures shall we overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
