Counties to recruit temporary health staff as strike continues across Kenya

Mothers and their newborns at the Makueni Level 4 Maternity Ward. The  hopistal’s operations have not been affected by the ongoing health workers’ strike. [PHOTO: ONESMUS NZIOKA/STANDARD]

By ROSELYNE OBALA

NAIROBI, KENYA: As the health workers strike entered week two, some counties are considering hiring new staff.

The health practitioners downed their tools a week ago protesting the transfer of health functions to counties without a law to establish a Health Service Commission.

They have defied a court order obtained by Government instructing them to resume duty.

In Kakamega, the health workers have been ordered to resume duty by tomorrow or face the axe for absconding work. Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said the county government would be forced to recruit new health workers to offer services should the current stalemate continue.

He defended devolution of health services, arguing it was entrenched in the Constitution.

“If by Monday they will not have resumed work, we will advertise their positions. This strike is unconstitutional based on the judiciary’s ruling and it’s therefore misleading for health workers to claim that their rights will be violated,” he said.

In Murang’a, the county government has advertised vacant positions as the countywide strike rages.

The county administration is seeking to engage retired medics, interns, students and any unemployed medical personnel on a temporary basis “to save the public from suffering”.

During the Kenya@50 celebrations, area Governor Mwangi wa Iria said the county government has allocated the health sector Sh450 million and pleaded with the striking employees to resume services as a show of patriotism.

The Standard learnt that the county government would initially hire100 health personnel to serve in some selected health facilities.

“As of now, the health sector is under the county government unless it is reverted to the national government,” said the governor.

Prospective candidates are expected at the Mothers Union today at 8am for immediate employment.

In Kirinyaga, the county administration is set recruit 134 paramedics in an effort to supplement health delivery services.

County Governor Joseph Ndathi has already directed the Public Service Board to advertise for the positions, which range from clinical officers to laboratory technologists.

“This move is meant to ensure we have paramedics on standby any time doctors go on strike as they have done leaving our people suffering,” he said.

PATIENTS SUFFER

Ndathi said the strike had made patients to suffer since only private hospitals were operational.

“How many Kenyans can afford health services in the private facilities given the prevailing hard economic times,” he posed.

The governor said they are working on making service delivery quick and efficient.

In Embu, Senator Lenny Kivuti has called on striking health workers to resume their duties as their issues are being addressed.

Kivuti reminded the medics that devolution is a gradual process and they should give it time to take root.

He wondered why the doctors were in such a hurry to take industrial action when avenues for negotiations were still open.

Meanwhile, medical services in all health institutions in Makueni County are going on as usual, despite the nationwide strike by medical practitioners to protest devolution of human resources and remuneration services.

When The Standard visited Makueni Level 4 Hospital and Makindu Sub-County hospital, patients were being attended to as usual.

The maternity wards were packed to capacity, and patients said they have continuously received treatment on a 24-hour basis.

—Additional reports by Munene Kamau, Joseph Muchiri, Kennedy Kwach and Boniface Gikandi