Public health practitioners banned from operating private clinics

By Michael Wesonga

Eldoret, Kenya: Uasin Gishu County Governor Jackson Mandago has declared that public health practitioners in the county will no longer be allowed to operate private facilities at the expense of public coffers.

Mandago has directed the enforcement team together with the county executive secretary for health and the director to shut down all clinics and dispensaries operated by public health workers with immediate effect.

“We are ready to employ other personnel if they are unwilling to work. You cannot enjoy your good time while patients suffer and die,” he said.

He reminded they that they could easily be replaced by the new 5000 graduates recently churned out by the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) saying the county only needed 200 personnel.

The governor maintained that he would not tolerate any protests from the medics in the county and would not hesitate to fire them if they persisted with their strike.

He furnished The Standard with a list of over 100 ghost staff in the county who mostly lie between job groups L and Q.

The county boss had earlier on threatened to sack all of them during a consultative meeting in his office.

Mandago further lashed out at interior cabinet and principal secretaries for only catering for Nairobians in celebrating Kenya at 50.

“Ole Lenku and Mutea Iringo should know that national celebrations particularly Kenya at 50 needed to be celebrated with other Kenyans outside Nairobi,” he advised.