Dadaab MP Farah Maalim has suggested that the Health docket be reverted to the national government to avert further crisis in public health facilities borne by health workers’ strike.
The Health docket was devolved upon promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, effectively making it county governments’ mandate to oversee operations in the sector, including doctors’ welfare.
While speaking in response to the ongoing doctors’ strike, the former National Assembly Deputy Speaker said it’s time the sector was reverted to the national government for smooth running of health services.
“Nobody should tamper with the training or remuneration of Intern doctors in our country. We have since independence produced the best doctors in all English medium countries at that level. When our medical officers go to practice in all Commonwealth Countries and the US, they are celebrated,” he said in a statement on X.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) called for the strike on March 14 to push for the implementation of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in 2017 after a 100-day strike.
Issues under contention include a push to post over 1,200 medical interns and the implementation of a comprehensive medical cover for doctors which the union says has been overlooked by the government for nearly seven years since the CBA deal was struck.
On Friday, striking doctors poured on the streets in numbers to push for full implementation of the CBA in a peaceful procession that KMPDU Secretary General Devji Atellah said “marked a pivotal moment in Kenya’s healthcare crisis”.
“The overwhelming support from doctors and citizens alike underscores the urgency for change. The reality of healthcare in Kenya cannot be ignored any longer. It’s time for decisive action and meaningful reforms,” Atellah said.
“Every Kenyan deserves access to quality healthcare, and together, we will continue to advocate for a system that serves all,” he added.
Atellah told the medical practitioners that the protests will continue until the Ministry of Health heeds their demands.
“There will be a union assembly on Monday and a fresh demonstration on Wednesday next week,” Atellah told the striking medics outside the Council of Governors (CoG) offices in Westlands, Nairobi.
Whilst pointing out that Kenya is a hub for the world’s best crop of doctors, Maalim said it was time the national government intervened and took over the management of the sector.
“Our Interns run effectively/efficiently big hospitals. They perform flawlessly certain surgical procedures that are only performed by specialists in the developed world. Let’s take health services back to the National Government,” he said.
