Healthcare workers contracted by the government to support Universal Health Care (UHC) activities during the Covid-19 pandemic yesterday ran out of patience and staged a protest outside Afya House, demanding that the Ministry of Health address their grievances urgently.

While revisiting age-old concerns, the workers accused the ministry of dragging its feet in responding to their complaints. They demanded that the government absorbs all UHC staff into Permanent and Pensionable (PNP) terms, immediate payment of their gratuity running into five years, and also remitting of all NSSF deductions.

Drawn from diverse counties such as Taita Taveta and Nakuru, they converged at the ministry headquarters, staging demonstrations demanding a statement.

The Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHPU) Secretary General Brown Ashira said all healthcare workers in the public health sector had reached a consensus that they will not offer services until the issues are resolved

Ashira demanded that some counties like Embu and Nandi should address the issues affecting universal health workers in their counties with immediate effect to avoid the workers downing their tools.

Main concerns

On April 2, while officially taking over at Afya House, Duale acknowledged the two main concerns raised by UHC staff representatives: conversion to permanent and pensionable terms, and payment of gratuity. He promised that he would address the matter and gave a three-week timeline.

The healthcare workers have been staging regular protests since mid-February, demanding the fulfilment of promises made when they were initially hired. Many were recruited during the pandemic to address critical staffing shortages in the healthcare system.

Many UHC staff members have faced significant challenges, and despite previous promises of transitioning to permanent and pensionable terms, these commitments remain unfulfilled.