Building Bridges Initiative Report proposes healthcare reform

Health sector workers are some of the biggest winners in proposals by the Taskforce on Building Bridges Initiative after the committee called for establishment of a Health Service Commission (HSC).

 According to the report handed over to President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday, all the public  “health sector personnel element should be moved from county governments to an independent Health Service Commission to enable sharing of the very limited health experts.”

The taskforce proposes that the Constitution be amended to allow transfer of medics to the commission in the wake of worsening public hospital management with workers staging endless strikes over poor working conditions and salaries in counties.

Generally, the human resources for health in Kenya has undergone a difficult period since devolution of services from the national government to county governments in the 2010 Constitution. Some of the challenges include dilapidated infrastructure in hospitals, lack of medicines, frequent strikes and loss of personnel. 

The government has been accused of hastily devolving healthcare to counties and holding onto some of the budgetary allocations for the devolved function despite challenges that continue to plague the sector. 

The proposals are a big win for doctors, nurses, clinical officers and others working in public medical facilities. 

Since the advent of devolution, the medics have been fighting to return to the national government or be transferred to an independent commission.  However, the proposals could run into trouble with governors who have been opposed to any attempt to move the health docket from counties.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) said the health sector needs a commission just like their counterparts in the teaching profession.

While advocating for the formation of HSC last year, KMPDU secretary Ouma Oluga told the Senate Health committee that the body would help in addressing various issues the workers face and also avert unnecessary strikes emanating from minor issues. 

Kenya National Union Nurses’ (KNUN) has also been pushing for the establishment of the commission.

The union had argued that since the constitution failed to deal with human resources for health sector, workers in the sector had been left at the mercy of governors, some who are mainly handpicked by County Public Service Boards and Chief Officers of Health in the counties.