Health ministry to meet county chiefs over strikes
Mothers at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital in Nairobi after doctors went on strike to demand salary arrears. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL
The Health ministry has organised a meeting of sector players in its attempt to resolve the latest round of strikes that have rocked service delivery in counties.
The two-day meeting to be held in Nairobi will start Thursday.
Health, Devolution and Planning ministries will be represented at the forum to be attended by Council of Governors (CoG), the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee and the Health Workers’ Unions.
Health Principal Secretary, Nicholas Muraguri said the ministry was concerned by the spate of industrial unrests.
“We regret the suffering that Kenyans have experienced in the recent past and we wish to assure them that we are working round the clock to solve the matter,” Dr Muraguri said in Nairobi on Thursday.
He said the ministry would continue offering policy guidance to county governments to avert strikes.
Strikes have been raging across the country, with the hardest hi being Migori, Kakamega, Nairobi, Nyeri and Nakuru.
At least two patients have died as health workers down their tools.
Personnel remuneration, harmonisation of salaries, staffing, promotions, delays in the absorption of staff, issues related to the work environment and opportunities for further training, are some of the concerns cited for strikes.
Doctors in Nairobi and Nakuru counties downed cited delays in payment while those in Nyeri were concerned with the looming shortage of doctors.
Doctors and nurses in Migori cited delays in promotions, while in Kakamega, nurses went on strike to protest delays in promotions, pay and hostile work environment.
The CoG, during the launch of the Human Resource for Health (HRH) policy on Tuesday said that the HR capacity in the sector needs to be improved to avoid late salaries in different cadres.
USAid East Africa health population and nutrition head, Randolph Augustin said that investing in workforce was crucial to motivating health workers.
“Health workers need to be motivated in order to provide compassionate care to patients. It is not just about providing but governing the workforce,” said Mr Augustin.
Training of personnel and capacity building is far much important than equipment and technology, he said.
Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union secretary-general, Ouma Oluga accused governments of dragging their feet in resolving grievances saying that the sluggishness encourages strikes.
“The meeting will be useful and we hope that our concerns will be resolved once and for all. We are ready to work,” said Dr Oluga.
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