KMPDU demands healthcare be return to national govt
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) and the Linda Ugatuzi Civil Society group have called for the return of health services in counties to the national government.
They argue that devolution has weakened healthcare delivery in the country over the past decade, as county governments lack the resources and capability to handle the health sector.
The KMPDU Secretary General, Davji Atellah, stated in a press briefing that the devolved government had failed to effectively implement the six pillars of an effective health system according to the World Health Organization. The medics and civil society groups have initiated a campaign to collect 7 million signatures to amend the constitution in their push for the establishment of the Health Services Commission.
“The KMPDU wishes to urge the Nation and her people to get back to the basics, and we shall kick off the discourse with a brief look at how Kenya is doing in each of the World Health Organization’s six pillars of an effective health system,” said Atellah.
The proposed Health Services Commission would centralize the management of health workers, enhance competence in the sector, ensure equitable distribution of healthcare workers, and create a conducive labor environment in the public health sector.
The demands of KMPDU were backed by a lobby group known as Linda Ugatuzi, which urged Kenyans to help mobilize support for the push to have health services returned to the national government. “Counties don’t have the resources to pay doctors. I urge you Kenyans to also help us. To collect the signatures required to amend the constitution,” said a Linda Ugatuzi official.
The demand by KMPDU and Linda Ugatuzi comes at a time when the healthcare sector is facing a myriad of challenges, including a shortage of healthcare workers, inadequate funding, and poor infrastructure.