Page 42 - Bulletin, Vol.80 No.1, May 2021

mobility, it is wise to make enquiries by INTERNET (unsmis@un.org). The
new premises ensure confidentiality since a ticket must be obtained prior to
being invited into the office.

e. As in the past, UNSMIS offered free vaccination against influenza to retirees
able to go to the Palais. AAFI-AFICS offered its traditional welcome with tea,
coffee and biscuits for both members and non-members of the Association.
This interlude is much appreciated and allows retirees to meet former
colleagues and catch up on news. About 750 people were vaccinated between
15 and 18 October, despite an anti-vaccination campaign. Our heartfelt thanks
to the volunteers who give their time to join us on this occasion. Parking
places had been reserved for retirees coming for a vaccination but for some
inexplicable reason they were prevented from entering by car although age
makes travel more difficult.

31. CIGNA / UNSMIS (ITU)

a. The contract between the ITU and CIGNA came to an end in 2019. The ITU
has joined UNSMIS, the scheme which insures the staff of UNOG, WMO and
UNHCR. UNSMIS is a mutual society that is not run on a commercial basis.

b. The 3000 ITU insured members joined UNSMIS on 1 January 2020.

c. The members of CIGNA will, however, lose the possibility of being able to
benefit from the CIGNA supplementary insurance plan, and only those who
were members of GPAFI will be able to return to their former complementary
insurance which, it must be recognised, practices very high tariffs.

32. SHIF (ILO)

a. In July 2018 amendments to the Staff Health Insurance Fund regulations and
administrative rules came into effect. These introduce or complement previous
amendments concerning reimbursement at 100% of certain preventive and
screening procedures for cancers, vaccinations, and rehabilitation treatment.
This applies also to alternative medicine treatment such as acupuncture,
osteopathy, traditional Chinese medicine or Ayurveda, these latter at a fixed
price rate.

b. The delays in reimbursement are less for those living in Europe but are still
lengthy for those living in other continents. An on-line reimbursement request
procedure has been introduced for serving staff; retirees will have to wait until
2020. It will still be possible, however, to make claims on paper.

c. The management of SHIF is still a matter of concern for the Section of Former
Officials. While active staff are able to obtain information on internal web sites,
this is not the case for retirees, especially older people who do not use IT
media, which is why the Section continues to insist that they receive
information through the SHIF bulletin. At the special request of the Section of
Former Officials, the updated Statutes and Regulations were printed on paper

40 AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 80 No. 1, 2021-05