Health services in various counties of the North Rift region have been heavily disrupted by the ongoing strike by clinical officers, who have warned that levels of service delivery in some facilities have reached alarmingly low levels. The Kenya Clinical Officers Association (KCOA) maintains that the ongoing strike has devastating effects on patients and poses a serious threat to the realization of the country's agenda on Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Service Delivery Below 20 Percent
The KCOA officials from the North Rift have been on a fact-finding mission to health facilities in Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, and Turkana counties, including Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. The association claimed that patients in these facilities faced long queues and inadequate service delivery due to the industrial action.
KCOA Secretary Joseph Chebe stated that the situation in some facilities, mainly in Uasin Gishu County, operates even below 20 percent of normal service capacity. He noted that many patients are left stranded by the neglect of health workers to attend to their commitment of availing medical services.
Chebe warned that such a situation weighs heavy on ordinary Kenyans and is compromising the efforts made by the government to improve access to healthcare for everyone.
KCOA Secretary Joseph Chebe. Photo/Courtesy
Stalled CBA Talks Underpin Cause of the Strike
The main cause of the strike, failure to implement the terms of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that has been under negotiations for the past eight years, was further divulged by the association. These prolonged delays, Chebe adds, have led to frustration among clinical officers, forcing them to lay down their tools.
He remarked that the national and county governments, the Ministry of Health, Council of Governors (CoG), and, indeed, the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers should be invited to immediately resume negotiations. He added that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has already given approval, and thus implementation is the only major issue pending.
KCOA stated that resolving the CBA issues within the shortest time and resuming service delivery will alleviate patients' suffering.
Non-payment of Salaries, Job Insecurity Ring Alarm
In Trans Nzoia County, clinical officer Leah Sogoti raised the alarm about non-payment of salaries, saying that ex-staff of the Global Fund had been rendered jobless for about 19 months. She is calling for immediate payment of all salary arrears and clarity on terms of engagement.
Sogoti called on Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and President William Ruto to intervene, saying affected officers are yearning for permanent and pensionable employment to secure their future upon retirement after many years in the health sector.
Calls for Dialogue as Services Continue to Decline
At Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, clinical officer Julius Kering urged management to roll out implementation of an already signed CBA to ensure normal services can be resumed. Meanwhile, KCOA chair for Uasin Gishu Isaac Kiptalam has said healthcare delivery in the county has dropped to below 30 percent due to failure by some staff members to report for duty, most of whom are juniors.
Kiptalam appealed to the county governments to engage clinical officers; warning that further delay by government in engaging clinical officers would further collapse the health system, putting even more lives at risk.
