The Social Health Authority (SHA) has declined a request to enroll over 360,000 public school teachers into its national health coverage scheme, citing limited infrastructure and insufficient funding. The decision leaves teachers and their families without a clear path to better healthcare, raising concerns over the current state of medical coverage.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had sought to transition educators from the current private provider, Minet Insurance, to SHA, amid growing discontent over Minet’s services. Teachers have reported persistent delays in approvals, poor service delivery, and hospitals turning them away due to unpaid claims.
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia told the National Assembly Education Committee that while the Commission previously tendered the Minet contract twice – currently in its second three-year term – it had hoped SHA could offer a more sustainable and accessible alternative.
“We had only tendered for this scheme under Minet Insurance twice. We previously considered the now-defunct NHIF, but the quoted cost was too high. I even wrote to Treasury requesting increased funding so we could move to SHA, but no funds were provided. That’s how we ended up with Minet and the current consortium,” said Macharia.
In response to a proposal for SHA to absorb the teachers, Macharia revealed that SHA requested Sh37 billion to onboard the educators, nearly double the Sh20 billion currently allocated for their health coverage. Even with this figure, SHA confirmed it was not ready to take on the responsibility this year.
“Last year, we had a meeting with SHA, but they said they didn’t have the structures to manage the scheme. They were asking for Sh37 billion, but even then, they said they were not ready to take up teachers,” she said.
Luanda MP Dick Maungu suggested clustering teachers by job group or region to reduce approval delays and ease pressure on the current system. However, Macharia cited structural limitations, late disbursements from Treasury, and limited funds as major barriers to implementing such reforms.
“With Bliss Healthcare as the master capitator and the number of teachers being so large, it becomes difficult for them to manage timely approvals. The system is overwhelmed,” Maungu noted.
Macharia acknowledged the frustrations but reiterated that the Commission’s hands are tied without increased financial support.
“We have teething problems with Minet. If our teachers were to get premium services, they should be fully insured. But we do not have the resources to make that happen,” she said.
Her comments only deepened lawmakers’ concerns, who continue to scrutinize the viability and transparency of the current medical scheme.
