The Council of Governors (CoG) has called for the immediate resignation of Health Cabinet Secretary Debora Barasa and Permanent Secretary for Medical Services Harry Kimutai.
Speaking about the ongoing health crisis, which has seen medical practitioners go on strike in many parts of the country, the CoG blamed the stalled healthcare services on the two top officials.
CoG Whip Stephen Sang accused Barasa and Kimutai of undermining President William Ruto’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda. He claimed that their failure to act had paralyzed the health sector, creating unnecessary challenges.
“I am beginning to wonder if the Health CS and PS are deliberately trying to sabotage the president’s UHC plan. If that is the case, they should step down and allow competent individuals to take over and deliver the services Kenyans deserve,” Sang stated.
He further emphasized that the country could not afford to be dealing with a nationwide doctors’ strike while still in the middle of a critical transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The CoG has now announced plans to summon CS Barasa and PS Kimutai to explain why the country’s healthcare system is in crisis.
“As governors, we will confront the CS and PS directly because we cannot sit back and watch them create more problems in the health sector. We already have issues concerning registration, capitation, and other challenges that need urgent attention. They must be held accountable,” Sang assured.
Worsening Healthcare Crisis
The country has been grappling with multiple problems in the medical sector. In Nairobi County, doctors officially began their strike on Friday, adding to the ongoing industrial action by clinical officers and contracted health workers under the UHC program.
Nairobi branch KMPDU Chairman, Dr. Deogracious Maero, stated that doctors could no longer continue working under poor conditions, including illegal salary stoppages, chronic salary delays, stalled promotions, unpaid gratuities for contracted doctors, and delayed confirmation letters for interns.
“The government is failing to honor its commitments. We had a signed agreement in 2023, which they have not implemented, and now they are asking us to create another framework for the same promises. How do they expect us to trust them?” Dr. Maero questioned.
Patients Left Without Services
Apart from the ongoing strikes, patients covered under the Rural & Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) scheme and using SHA have been unable to access medical services.
RUPHA officials have attributed the disruption to unpaid NHIF arrears, an ineffective outpatient reimbursement system, and the government’s failure to resolve long-standing challenges in the sector.
Despite the growing concerns, the Ministry of Health has continued to assure Kenyans, doctors, and other stakeholders that it is working to stabilize the healthcare system and restore normalcy.
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