Teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have until 10th April 2021 to ensure they have scanned and uploaded documents for their dependants to the AON Minet online portal.
Most teachers have acknowledged receiving text messages from their health insurance provider encouraging them to do so.
“Dear MR MICHAEL, We are yet to receive supporting documents for your dependants. Your dependants shall be removed from the hospital system by 10th April should we not receive these documents before then. Upload document through the link https://collaborationkenya.minet.com/tsc STOP *456*9*5#” read a text message of Michael Wandera, a teacher in Busia.
Teachers who fail to have their dependants documents uploaded on time will have problems getting health services for them in AON accredited hospital countrywide.
AON Minet is one of the largest insurance providers in the country. TSC has in its workforce 337,432 teachers in 30,000 public primary and post-primary schools who are covered by AON Minet.
The teachers pay for the medical cover through their payslip deductions. TSC teachers don’t get their medical allowance which is channeled towards the cover.
The cover cost TSC Sh9 billion in 2019, Sh12 billion in 2020 and Sh14 billion this year.
Teachers will be required to upload a birth certificate for children below eighteen years or a birth notification for children born recently.
For married teachers they will upload a marriage certificate or a sworn affidavit. They will also be required to upload their spouses ID card.
Teachers with children in college or university or high school who are adults with eighteen years and above are required to upload there original ID cards or school ID card as prove. For those with disabled children a disability certificate is required.
Want to upload Documents for AON Dependants? (AON Minet Kenya)
Teachers asked to take vaccine by June
The Teachers Service Commission CEO, Dr. Nancy Njeri Macharia, has been encouraging teachers to take Covid-19 jab.
Macharia said the commission is working to have all teachers vaccinated by June.
Macharia took Covid-19 jab in Nairobi when the program for vaccination was rolled out for teachers turn to take the jab.
This came as TSC said 44 teachers have so far succumbed to Covid-19 related complications since the outbreak of the virus in March last year.
There are currently 330,671 teachers in public schools and 158,000 in private institutions countrywide.
Dr Akhwale who is the chairman of the Covid-19 task force for vaccine deployment assured teachers of the vaccine’s safety.
“The launch of the vaccination is a demonstration that the government is committed to ensuring learning in schools is not disrupted,” said Dr Akhwale who is also a senor adviser at the African Leaders Malaria Alliance.
The vaccine being administered to Kenyans is the Oxford AstraZeneca one which has been approved by the World Health organization and the Ministry of Health.
“For a vaccine to work the cold chain must be maintained. Let Kenyans know that this vaccine is safe.” Dr Akhwale said.
“A vaccine cannot be approved for use and registered if it can harm citizens.” Dr Akhwale added that the oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has passed phase three of the WHO-recommended clinical trials.
The drive will prioritise teachers aged 50 and above, Macharia said in Nairobi.
Macharia said out of the 110,000 teachers 92,850 teach in public schools and within age 50 year age bracket, 15,000 are 58 years and above.
Another 16,500 teachers who fall under the high risk category teach in private and international schools.
Macharia released data after monitoring the ongoing KCSE examinations in the Nairobi.
“We shall continue collaborating with the Ministry of Health to ensure that, gradually, all teachers receive the jab,” said the TSC boss.
Claims of AON humiliating teachers
Last year the Senate investigated AON Minet company over claims of humiliating teachers covered under its medical insurance scheme.
A statement sought by nominated Senator Rose Nyamunga highlights the difficulties teachers under the insurance provider’s scheme undergo while seeking medical treatment.
While raising the issue of teachers’ mistreatment in the Senate on September 30 2020, Ms Nyamunga claimed there is very low capitation for outpatient services, with some teachers eligible for as low as Sh900, which is inclusive of doctors’ consultation, tests and drugs.
“The teachers of this country are a frustrated lot and they feel their lives are potentially endangered by the poor services being offered under AON Minet,” Ms Nyamunga said.
Despite having to endure double deduction on their payslips for the National Hospital Insurance Fund and AON MINET there are no commensurate services, she said.
According to Ms Nyamunga, teachers are reported that the services offered by AON Minet were not only poor in terms of quality, but also too restrictive to benefit them.
“There are restrictions on the hospitals they are allowed to visit for treatment, some of which are ill-equipped and lack qualified personnel,” the senator had said.
However TSC in its response said AON Minet is the best health insurance provider in East and Central Africa.
Appearing before the senate TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia said there is no capping on any Outpatient Limit per day.
She said the only capping for the outpatient component is the member’s allocation per year which should not be exceeded.
AON Minet has healthcare services to teachers in the 47 counties.
The scheme has over 500 health service providers country wide offering a wide range of services from In-patient, Outpatient, Dental, Optical, Maternity, Medical Emergency Evacuation and specialized referrals locally and Internationally, Group Excess of Loss Cover, Group Life and last expense cover.
The list of hospitals is available in both the TSC and Minet website or the same can be accessed through the USSD *340 #.
In coming up with the list of hospitals, the Commission ensured that the hospitals are spread across the Country for ease of accessibility to teachers.
The Commission has also ensured that the selected hospitals have the necessary medical infrastructure, equipment and are accredited by NHIF to meet the teacher’s medical needs.
Teachers suffer from depression
Last year AON Minet released a report on its finding related to teachers mental health.
The report highlighted a significant number of teachers suffer from mental health problems.
Most of those affected were teachers in public schools. According to AON Minet approximately four hundred teachers visited health facilities and were classified to be suffering from depression.
Counties of Bungoma, Nairobi, Bomet and Machakos recorded the highest number of teachers suffering from the mental health.
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Bungoma county had twenty eight cases followed by Nairobi at twenty four then Bungoma with twenty three and lastly Machakos with twenty cases.
Other areas that reported cases include Usin Gishu, Pokot, Mandera and Marsabit each recording one case.
Majority of the patients were male with fifty four percent while twenty nine percent were femaile and seventy percent were under the unknown category.
The report showed that the main cause of the depression was stress and anxiety.
