SPEECH BY MS.

ANNE WAIGURU, OGW, CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF

DEVOLUTION AND PLANNING DURING THE LAUNCH OF THE BIOMETRIC
REGISTRATION EXERCISE FOR MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE AND
DISCIPLINED SERVICES AND THEIR ELIGIBLE DEPENDANTS AT PAN AFRIC
HOTEL ON THURSDAY, 27TH AUGUST 2015, 10 AM
Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mr James Macharia
All Cabinet Secretaries Present
All Principal Secretaries
Chairman, NHIF Board
Secretary General, Union of Kenya Civil Servants
Chief Executive Officers
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen;
I am pleased to join you here for the launch of the Biometric Registration of the
members of the Civil Service and the Disciplined Services Medical Scheme and their
eligible dependants.
If you recall, in January 2015 during the Presidential launch of the enhanced benefits of
the scheme, the Ministry in collaboration with NHIF promised the adoption of smart
card identification to allow members of the scheme to access services across hospitals.
This promise has today become a reality!

Ladies and Gentlemen

To put this into perspective, I wish to take this opportunity to give a brief background
to the Comprehensive Medical Insurance Cover for the Civil Servants and Disciplined
Services personnel administered by the Ministry of Devolution and Planning.
Prior to 1st January, 2012, Civil Servants and Disciplined Services were drawing
monthly medical allowances ranging from Kshs. 375 Kshs.2, 490 which was taxed,
as Outpatient Medical Cover.
The employees daily entitlement as Inpatient Medical Cover was in the range of ksh.
1,000 to kshs.1500 per day, and the employees had to pay the bills first and then
claim reimbursement.
Where the bills were in-excess of the entitlement, ex-gratia assistance was granted at
the discretion of the accounting officer and subject to availability of funds. In most
cases, employees were unable to access this assistance and this caused considerable
financial hardships forcing them to resort to harambees, salary advances or loans.
Ladies and Gentlemen
In January, 2012 the government initiated the Civil Servants And Disciplined Services,
Medical Scheme as a means of meeting its obligation under the employment act, 2007
and the provisions of the Constitution 2010- to provide access to quality healthcare to
its employees.
The government converted the existing medical benefits for Civil Servants into a
Comprehensive Medical Insurance Scheme and the National Hospital Insurance Fund
(NHIF) was contracted to administer the scheme at an initial premium of ksh.4.32
billion per annum for a total of 216,789 Principal Members on family shared basis.
The contract for provision of the Medical Insurance Cover between my Ministry and
NHIF is renewable on an annual basis and continuously reviewed.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My Ministry in consultation with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and other
stakeholders has continued to review and enhance the benefits under the scheme to
ensure quality healthcare for the employees and their eligible dependants.
A key outcome of this collaboration is the new contract negotiated with NHIF for the
period 2015/16 and came into on 1st July 2015. Under the contract, the scheme offers
enhanced benefits for all members and their dependents, notably ;

Air Rescue Services currently covering

only the Disciplined Services has

been extended to all Civil Servants;

The scheme will now cover travel and accommodation costs for a person
accompanying a member for treatment outside the country;

Under the new contract, Drug and substance abuse rehabilitation services
are covered; and

Members who retire within the contract period will continue to access
medical benefits under the scheme together with their dependants until the
expiry of the current contract.

On its part, the Government will continue consultations with NHIF, the Union of Kenya
Civil Servants and other stakeholders to improve the benefits package offered under the
scheme to ensure that members access quality healthcare.
And with good reason, a healthy workforce is essential to the realization of this
Governments broad transformation agenda.
Ladies and Gentlemen
With the government, unions and other partners working together, I am confident that
we will continue to achieve a substantive improvement in health of our workforce over
the next decade.

On this note, let me thank NHIF and all partners at this event and offer the full support
of the Ministry in this undertaking. Let us work together for a healthier and productive
workforce.
It is now my pleasure to declare the Biometric Registration exercise officially
launched. Thank you.