Police officers finally get enhanced medical cover

Police and prison officers, their spouses and children will receive free health care after the government procured a medical insurance for them.

The comprehensive cover will be provided by AAR as the lead insurer and four other companies. AON is the administrator of the new scheme.

The cover became effective Saturday and officers are required to register with AAR to enjoy the benefits.

The lowest ranked officer, a constable, is insured at Sh150,000 for outpatient and Sh1.5 million for inpatient every year.

On the other hand the highest ranked officer is insured at Sh500,000 for outpatient and Sh5 million for inpatient.

The new scheme will cover a 107,000-strong workforce from the National Police Service and the Kenya Prisons Service.

“This is to inform all members of the service that the government has procured comprehensive medical cover for service officers with AAR consortium,” a statement dispatched to commanders across Kenya read.

“The cover is to commence on October 1. All officers will migrate to the new cover. This is to assure all members there will be no disruption in their medical cover.”

It was signed by Mr Simon Kiragu for Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet.

An official conversant with the new cover described it as “superior”, compared to the old one administered by National Hospital Insurance Fund.

Unlike the old one, officers will be free to seek treatment from any hospital within the country including top private hospital.

Officers from the rank of Constable to Senior Assistant Inspector-General, in the old cover, were limited to visiting selected health facilities, with a bias to government-owned ones.

BETTER DEAL

Only high ranking officers were allowed to access top hospitals but were, however, restricted to Sh800,000 cover for inpatient treatment.

The scheme is in addition to the Sh1.7 billion life insurance cover that was unveiled two years ago.

The deal is a big relief to police because a majority of them could not afford decent medical care.

It comes seven years late because it was envisioned in the Ransley report, the police reforms blueprint that was adopted by the government in 2009.

The report says: “The nature of policing duties exposes them to all manner of risks. The risks have increased phenomenally due to the emerging challenges in maintaining safety and security. In view of the inadequacy of life insurance cover, the officers have been rendered vulnerable to risks in the course of their duty.”

Kenya’s three top police chiefs – Mr Boinnet and his deputies Samual Arachi (Administration Police) and Joel Kitili (Kenya Police) – enjoy benefits by virtue of sitting at the National Police Service Commission as commissioners.

In the past, police were entitled to a Sh5,000 monthly risk allowance which was scrapped to pave way for the insurance.