Address challenges that continue to plague health sector

Health workers - doctors, nurses, clinical officers and midwives - are one of the core building blocks of our health system. file photo | nmg 

By EVELYN SAMBA

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Summary

• Even without these recent disputes, the Kenyan public healthcare system has been struggling to adequately staff public health facilities.
• The World Health Organisation classifies Kenya among countries with a critical shortage of healthcare workers.
• A Member of Parliament was recently reported in the media saying that if re-elected, she intends to sponsor a Bill in parliament to outlaw industrial action by health workers

In the past six months, Kenyans have been caught in the middle of disputes between health workers and government, both national and county governments. Not once but twice. Both times, the disputes escalated from issues around collective bargaining agreements. The first dispute led to a 100-day boycott by doctors while the second one, the ongoing one, involves nurses. These disputes come hand in hand with pain and suffering for innocent Kenyans. Some patients have lost their lives, other patients and their loved ones have suffered more than they ought to have.

Frankly, our public healthcare system cannot weather these increasingly frequent disruptions of healthcare service provision without ill effects.

Even without these recent disputes, the Kenyan public healthcare system has been struggling to adequately staff public health facilities. The World Health Organisation classifies Kenya among countries with a critical shortage of healthcare workers.

According to a Ministry of Health report titled ‘‘Human Resources for Health (HRH) assessment report for Northern Kenya’’ published in 2013, Kenya has an average of 19 doctors and 166 nurses per 100,000 population, compared to WHO’s recommended minimum staffing levels of 36 doctors and 356 nurses per 100,000 of the population.

Health workers - doctors, nurses, clinical officers and midwives - are one of the core building blocks of our health system. It is therefore important that we listen to them and have a conversation about their concerns.

It is in the interest of every Kenyan, including those negotiating on behalf of government, that the public health system works well. Who better to help us improve the healthcare system than those who work in it?

A Member of Parliament was recently reported in the media saying that if re-elected, she intends to sponsor a Bill in parliament to outlaw industrial action by health workers.

Such a Bill will be contrary to Article 41 of the 2010 Constitution on labour relations. The Constitution guarantees every worker the right to engage in collective bargaining and taking industrial action.

Apart from being illegal, such a Bill is akin to cutting off our nose to spite our face. Our health workers may react by leaving public service and moving to private practice or worse, move to other countries to the detriment of Kenya’s public health system.

If they decided to emigrate, chances are that they would find opportunities elsewhere. The risk and cost of Kenyan health workers seeking greener pastures elsewhere was documented in a study published by in 2008 by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour, the International Organisation on Migration (IOM) among other stakeholders.

Access to high quality healthcare is impossible without adequate and motivated healthcare workers. Access to quality and affordable healthcare is a right endowed on all Kenyans by the Constitution. We must deal with staff welfare concerns that health workers have raised once and for all. If we are able to address these concerns, the results will be a well-motivated healthcare workforce who are more likely to provide high quality services for the benefit of the citizens of the country.