Police officers are up in arms over their medical insurance scheme which they claim to be ineffective and cumbersome to access.
The officers have been airing their grievances to police headquarters, Vigilance House and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations , calling for a change of the contract.
Officers complain of either being turned away or detained in hospitals since their identities are not in the database provided by the scheme administrator, AON Minet.
The Informer has now established AON has written to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters seeking to have an open sensitisation day with officers as a move to tame the growing discontent.
“I have received your questions but I cannot comment on the issues now. I will do so later.” AON communications officer Anne Ndungu said.
The officers want the scheme terminated.
“The new scheme is not working for us. Our officers, their children and spouses are either turned away in hospitals. Others are detained since their names are missing in the records. There are so many complaints.” A senior officer revealed.
Among the hardest hit are police and prison officers in remote areas.
The controversial scheme was launched on October last year after the government procured a comprehensive medical Insurance cover for all National Police and Kenya Prisons Service officers.
All officers covered by National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) scheme were migrated to the new insurance scheme- AAR Consortium, effective from October 1, 2016.
The new scheme caters for evacuation of injured officers from any part of East Africa. The lowest ranked officer, a constable, is insured at Sh150,000 for outpatient and Sh1.5 million for inpatient services every year.
The highest ranked officer is insured at Sh500,000 for outpatient and Sh5 million for inpatient services.
AON also provides similar medical and group life cover to other government agencies like the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) employees.
Teachers were herded into the new scheme, though not voluntarily with provision of comprehensive in-patient and out-patient services in all hospitals across the country.