Health CS Susan Nakhumicha has called on healthcare workers to embrace the spirit of dialogue as a way of solving issues affecting the health sector.
Speaking on TV47 on Monday, Nakhumicha said it is only through them coming to the dialogue table that their grievances will be addressed.
She further called on the recently unveiled Haman Resource Advisory Council to come up with recommendations on how the welfare of healthcare workers can be harmonised across the country.
She acknowledged that health being a devolved function, different counties have hired healthcare workers on different terms of engagement, and every county treats its workers differently from the other.
“I urge the healthcare workers, they live in this country, they know the strategies we are putting in place. They should not be people to be issuing threats all the time, they should be people willing to come to the table and participate in talks to see how we move forward,” she said.
“The healthcare workers are employed by different counties so there are challenges because every county treats its workers differently from the other.
“We would like the human resources advisory council to give us recommendations on how to harmonise to ensure even if the counties employ differently, they should treat them in the right way across the board,” she added.
This comes even as doctors plan to hold a peaceful procession in Nairobi to present a petition to various offices on issues they want addressed in the health sector.
The procession is expected to start at Kenyatta National Hospital to the Ministry of Health before proceeding to the Council of Governors offices.
Key on the agenda is a call to the government to undertake comprehensive reforms that will revitalise and strengthen the healthcare infrastructure.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union Secretary General Davji Atellah said the country’s healthcare system is facing a crisis witnessed by a steady deterioration in the quality of healthcare services provided.
“There are no drugs, no equipment, no reagents and no functional amenities, leaving the overburdened doctors to only certify death,” Atellah said.
They further want equal opportunities and dignified employment for the doctors and health workforce in the country.