Civil servants union mulls referendum on county health role

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Pusetu says management of medical services, like education and security, should be under the national government.

The civil service workers union is considering joining the agitation for a referendum to have Medical Services transferred to the national government citing poor working conditions and pay.

The Federation of Public Service Trade Unions of Kenya (Pusetu-K) on Tuesday said the management of the Health docket should be part of the agenda in the proposed referendum.

The union did not state whether it will partner with the opposition Cord or with governors in pushing for a constitutional review.

Pusetu-K says hospitals have been starved of supplies and medical workers are faced with lower pay and perennial salary delays, which have seen personnel in a number of counties go on strike this month.

Pusetu’s secretary-general Charles Mukhwaya said health, like education and security, should be a function of the national government.

“The administration and management of health sector be included in the agenda of the proposed national referendum with a view to establishing a National Health Service Commission,” Dr Mukhwaya said at a media briefing.

He added that the health commission, which will be modelled on the Teachers Service Commission, would assume the human resource function for the medical workers.

The referendum by Cord is hinged on the transfer of more funds to counties and disbandment of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

The governors want the national government to allocate the county units at least 45 per cent of national revenues.

Pusetu, Knut and the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) are in solidarity with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU), which has been supporting the strike by health workers in public health facilities.

The unions threatened a strike should the government fail to intervene in the ongoing strike by health-care providers over delayed July salaries.

Isaac Ruto, the chairman of the Council of Governors, has said county governments are not to blame for the delay and that the fault lies with the national Treasury.

The issue has been linked to the delayed approval of the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, 2014, which guides the sharing of the Sh228 billion allocated by the national government for the 47 counties.

KPMDU chairman Victor Ng’ani on Tuesday said the dues for a number of clinical officers and medical interns had not been forthcoming for the last four months.

“In February, a number of staff reported pay cuts while others did not get their allowances,” Dr Ng’ani noted.

Mombasa, Busia, Kiambu, Machakos and Uasin Gishu are some of the counties that are yet to pay July salaries to their medical staff.

Health secretary James Macharia Tuesday observed that the formation of a national health commission was akin to backtracking on the provision of universal healthcare to Kenyan households through devolution.