Members of Parliament allied to the Azimio Coalition on Wednesday, March 13, called out Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha over the looming nationwide strike set to be staged by doctors.
Led by Leader of Minority Opiyo Wandayi, the MPs demanded that the CS should resign if she cannot get the National Treasury to disburse the funds required to avert the protest.
"It is incompetence of the worst type for a CS to keep lamenting that the National Treasury has no money. If she cannot make the Treasury release the money for a critical ministry like Health then she has no option but to quit," Wandayi stated.
They further accused Nakhumicha of failing to carry out her mandates as required adding that her docket was a crucial sector affecting millions of Kenyans.
Doctors through the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Atellah have announced a strike set to begin at midnight Wednesday. The medics have accused the ministry of failing to meet their demands.
On this, Wandayi remarked that thousands of Kenyans may miss their appointments. He added that if doctors down their tools tomorrow, numerous patients will miss emergency care such as dialysis and prenatal.
Additionally, the legislators accused the Kenya Kwanza government of having misplaced duties and roles for those in charge.
They argued that various ministries were not operating in unison leading to confusion at the highest levels of government. The Ministries of Education and Agriculture were cited as the best examples.
"It's the same confusion that we are witnessing in the Education and Agriculture Ministries, a wrong person in the wrong job was always going to be a disaster," the Ugunja MP stated.
To avoid the looming strike and impending crisis, the MPs called upon the government to engage the union to resolve the disagreements.
Also, if the strike is not averted, the Ministry of Health was asked to share its plan for how Kenyans will access emergency treatment, critical care, and neonatal care. Wandayi added that patients who are set to undergo surgeries tomorrow will need urgent medical attention.
Meanwhile, one of the major concerns raised by the medical fraternity was the delay in placing interns in respective hospitals.
Atellah in February complained about the delay in posting 1,200 of this category of health workers.
The medics held a protest on February 29 on the same issue where a teargas canister, unfortunately, hit the SG.
In her defence, CS Nakhumicha pointed fingers at the National Treasury for failing to disburse the funds.
