The Social Health Authority (SHA) has raised an alarm over fraudulent messages that have targeted Health Care Providers (HCPs) across the country.
In a notice on Tuesday, December 2, SHA Chief Executive Officer Mercy Mwangangi said that some individuals are impersonating the authority and demanding payments from some Health Care Providers during the signing of the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund (POMSF).
Mwangagi, who urged HCPs to ignore such information, stressed that the authority does not charge any fee during the signing or processing of the addendum.
SHA has encouraged the workers to verify such claims by contacting the authority through its official communication channels, including the toll-free number 0800720601, or its email and website.
Health care workers who have received such messages have been further directed to report them through SHA's official fraud email or the toll-free number.
"SHA is aware of fraudulent messages asking HCPs to pay during the signing of the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund (POMSF) addendum to the contract," the notice read.
"Note that SHA does NOT charge any fees for signing or processing this addendum. SHA advises all providers to report any such messages," it added.
POMSF is a fund created to provide supplementary medical coverage for public servants, which they can access after they have exhausted their coverage under the primary Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
POMSF aims to cover a wider range of services like outpatient, inpatient, dental and optical care, as well as other benefits like overseas treatment.
Earlier this year, in July, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi defended the scheme, stressing that it is not a duplication of SHA, but rather a complementary initiative.
According to Mbadi, the scheme, which aims to provide additional health insurance for around 140,000 public servants, is set to replace the current Comprehensive Medical Scheme for civil servants and disciplined forces, which has been in place since 2012.
"The provision of the enhanced medical benefits package for public officers is part of the Collective Bargaining Agreements between the government and the various public service officers' unions,” the CS said on Thursday, July 17.
