The government has promised to improve healthcare services for teachers following concerns raised over delays and poor service in hospitals.
Speaking during a meeting in Kisumu, Principal Secretary for Medical Services Ouma Oluga said the government is working on changes to make sure teachers get better treatment when they visit health facilities.
The meeting brought together officials from Kenya National Union of Teachers and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers, who have been raising issues about the quality of healthcare services.
According to Dr Oluga, the government was reviewing the conditions for social health authority benefits provided for teachers. Some of the problems being experienced according to Dr Oluga include delays in providing services and the way the hospitals have been handling the patients.
He advised that there should be a close collaboration between the three parties to sort out the problems.
“We want to make sure teachers get the services they deserve. That means improving how hospitals work and making the system more accountable,” he said.
The PS also asked teachers to continue sharing their experiences to help the government understand where the problems are and how to fix them.
The discussion was chaired by the CEO of SHA, Mercy Mwangangi, and Joshua Okise from the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital was also in attendance.
For a very long period, the teaching fraternity has been complaining about the health service system since services were delivered with delay and in confusion. This recent negotiation has brought hope of solving the issue.
The government has committed itself to continue negotiating with all parties to ensure that the teachers get good quality health services.
