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{
"id": 1401118,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1401118/?format=api",
"text_counter": 279,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Nakhumicha",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Health",
"speaker": {
"id": 520,
"legal_name": "Reginalda Nakhumicha Wanyonyi",
"slug": "reginalda-nakhumicha-wanyonyi"
},
"content": "Regarding the strike and a definite date as to when the doctors will go back to work, we are now in the process of negotiation. I am not able to confirm with certainty that by tomorrow they will be back to work. Of course, I would like that we conclude the negotiation in the shortest time possible. I would like, since the matter has been mentioned today by the Employment and Labour Relations Court, if the doctors can go back to work today, that would be the ideal situation for us as a country. However, we are going to put our best foot forward in this negotiation, so that we ensure that we go back to operations as soon as possible. On the question raised by Sen. Cherarkey, first, I would like to confirm that the intern medical officers are not 1,500, but 1,210. This includes medical officers, pharmacists and dentists. However, after they went on strike, other cadres joined them; the clinical officers and medical laboratory officers. As we speak, we have the medical officers, clinical officers and laboratory officers on strike. However, I would also want to confirm that we have those doctors who have been patriotic enough and have continued to provide services. They are manning the emergency services and some of the facilities, ensuring continuity of service. We have put in place administrative measures to ensure that at least services are being provided in the health facilities. The issue at hand is the offer that we have given. I confirm that the Ministry, having been constrained by the National Treasury, posts interns based on the available resources. The Ministry wrote to the Salaries and Renumeration Commission (SRC) for guidelines. The guideline we received from the SRC is that the interns ought to get a stipend and not remuneration. So, the stipend that was offered is Kshs70,000 and that is what we have offered. As I indicated, the letters have gone out to medical officers and we are going to begin taking stock from tomorrow in terms of those who have reported. I also confirm that 1,270 clinical officers have reported to their duty stations. It was not just the stipend for doctors that was fixed, equally, the stipend for clinical officers was fixed. In the previous regulations, the clinical officers were earning Kshs15,000 as a stipend for internship. Under the new regulations and guidelines that have been given by the SRC, that has been enhanced to Kshs35,000. I confirm that those clinical officers have reported. Nursing and clinical officers with degree certificates have started collecting their letters and the stipend is Kshs50,000. In terms of payment to the doctors, the conversation of healthcare financing has to be discussed not just by the Ministry of Health, but the whole Government. I believe that is the wisdom that the honourable Judge of the Employment and Labour Relations Court ordered; that a whole-of-nation approach is taken, so that we discuss. However, as a Ministry, we have not sat back. That is why we brought to this honourable House the four Acts. We have the Social Health Insurance Act, which in itself is supposed to enable us to collect resources and use them for providing healthcare services. One of the items that will be recovered by the resources from the Social Health Insurance Act is payment for all human resource for health officers across all cadres. I thank the nurses, doctors and all the cadres who have continued to provide services amid this crisis. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir and Hon. Members. I submit."
}