- KUCO Chairman Wachira said new faces and changes in governing structures every five years break continuity in the health sector.
- Wachira also said if Kenyan healthcare will not form part of the talks, they will query the sincerity of the talks.
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Clinical officers have lamented that the health sector is yet to make significant strides since the service became a function of county governments.
The Chairman of Kenya Union of Clinical Officers Peterson Wachira cited poor political leadership as one of the reasons the sector is still riddled with teething troubles.
“The country has not yet achieved what was set to be achieved through devolution as far as health is concerned,” Wachira said during an interview with Citizen TV on Wednesday.
He however lauded the government’s recent move to send 76 nurses to the UK saying the health workers have not been appreciated for their skills locally.
“Can we ensure that the Kenyans get the same service that health workers go to offer on the other side,” he added.
Wachira said healthcare service is a huge pillar that should be included in bipartisan talks even before the issue of cost of living is discussed.
"I think the biggest driver of the cost of living that is less talked about is health care. The lowest social economic class spend the highest percentage of their income in purchasing health services," he said.
He said if Kenyan healthcare will not form part of the talks, they will query the sincerity of the talks.
Last week, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) lamented over shortage of healthcare professionals in the country, saying this in turn affects service delivery.
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah, in a statement sent to newsrooms on Tuesday, said county governments have neglected the human resource factor as far as the healthcare sector is concerned, and only focus on infrastructure development “presumably for political points.”
“There is a severe shortage of medical officers, pharmacists, and dentists in the public hospitals and our members are now forced to work long hours without annual leaves which is against the 40 hours per week that we signed in our 2017 CBA,” he noted.
Atellah also raised concern over lack of adequate medical supplies in public hospitals.