Healthcare services in counties collapsing — doctors

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union has warned of collapsing health services in counties.

Doctors say hospitals are operating without essential drugs and equipment coupled with a lack of adequate staff to serve the public.

Union’s North Rift branch officials led by chairman Dr Kamunzi Mule and secretary Dr Darwin Ambuka said counties were investing more in ambulances to transfer patients to national referral institutions instead of developing the public health system in the regions.

Dr Mule said while most counties were thriving in corruption with wastage and diversion of resources, governors were doing little to ensure Kenyans benefit from quality health services which is a fully devolved function

He said both the national government and counties were doing nothing to improve delivery of public health services which are complicated by weaknesses in the Social Health Authority, which has seen Kenyans lack access to affordable, and quality health services.

The KMPDU officials said the union is tired of negotiating CBA agreements which end up being ignored by both the national government and counties.

The officials spoke in Eldoret after an AGM for the KMPDU branch which represents seven counties in the North Rift.

“We have a government that does not listen and we have had so many meetings that bear no fruits. Doctors and other health workers are frustrated. As doctors, we have no medical cover that is working properly and we have been forced to pay from our pockets to get treatment,” Mule said.

The union officials said they would be calling for doctors’ strikes in counties which failed to implement the CBA signed in 2017.

“The government has reneged on agreements signed before including the 2017 CBA which highlights the welfare of doctors from the time they are interns to retirement,” Dr Mule said.

He said they are distressed that while many governors are splashing money on personal issues, counties had no functioning healthcare systems causing suffering to Kenyans.

Hospitals in the counties he said, were running without essential supplies, equipment and poor services as a result of human resource issues.

Dr Mule and Kamunzi said the union had made proposals on how to improve SHA but so far nothing had been done to improve the situation.

“We said since SHA was forced down our throats, then it has to be made to work,” Dr Mule said.

KMPDU has warned of action over issues of failed promotions for doctors, lack of a medical cover for doctors and other poor working conditions.

Within the region, the union cited Trans Nzoia and Turkana as some of the regions where health services are collapsing.

“We are asking the governors to serve Kenyans by ensuring health services are effective at the county levels. We are in a situation where counties are deliberating collapsing public health services and we will not for sure accept that,” Dr Kamunzi said.