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NSSF members in ICU can access benefits- Byarugaba
A Covid-19 patient in the High Dependency Unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital on May 25. Photo | Promise Twinamukye
What you need to know:
- NSSF has since last year been swarmed by request from both members and the public to create a provision in which members, whose income sources have been affected by Covid-19 access part of their benefits to shore them out of the hard times.
National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has said members battling Covid-19 will be given an option to access part of their benefits under the invalidity benefits provision.
However, the Fund noted that consideration is only given to members in intensive care.
Speaking Thursday in response to Daily Monitor’s inquiries, Mr Richard Byarugaba, the NSSF managing director, said the Fund had already helped some members in this regard.
However, he did not provide specifics on how many members had approached NSSF in this regard or how much had been paid out.
“It is an invalidity benefit. Basically, it is a benefit which is available to members who are either incapacitated or are not able to work. And since we have seen that Covid-19 can sometimes result in serious medication, the [NSSF doctor] assesses and then authorizes it [pay out],” he said noting that that the assessment for the payout is done in less than a week.
Asked if the Fund would not be overwhelmed considering the surge in Covid-19 cases since May, Mr Byarugaba said access would be on a cases-by-case basis with attention given to members in critical condition.
“Especially, now that we know that you have to pay a lot of money when you are in intensive care, we have considered this. But it entirely remains a doctors decision,” he said.
NSSF had earlier sent out a Tweet in which it said that members in ICU could submit medical documents to the Fund doctor for assessment, who would then advise accordingly in-line with the invalidity benefit provision under the NSSF Act.
“Kindly note that if our member is in ICU and medical documents are submitted, the Fund doctor handles the assessment and advises accordingly in-line with the invalidity benefit,” a Tweet from NSSF said.
However, Mr Byarugaba noted that the payout will purely be based on the discretion of the NSSF doctor, who after assessing submitted documents, will authorise the payout.
NSSF has since last year been swarmed by request from both members and the public to create a provision in which members, whose income sources have been affected by Covid-19 access part of their benefits to shore them out of the hard times.
A provision, under which certain members would access at least 20 per cent of their benefits before hitting the required retirement age, had been considered under the amended NSSF Act but the Bill, which was passed by Parliament in February, has not been signed by the President.
Recently, President Museveni said there had been some concerns that he would consider before signing the amendments in law.
NSSF has previously indicated that it would be very difficult to mobilise money for a 20 per cent payout, noting the Fund will be required to liquidate some of its assets to raise money for such a payout.
