Kandara Member of Parliament Alice Wahome has faulted Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe for threatening to sack nurses among other health workers who are on strike.
Wahome on Monday told Kagwe to listen and act on grievances raised by nurses and clinical officers instead of threatening to sack them.
She said the CS should think of bringing a bill in parliament to seek allocation of more funds to pay the striking health workers.
The MP speaking at Kiawambutu Primary school in her constituency where she commissioned new classrooms funded by local NG-CDF said Kenyans who cannot afford health care in private hospitals are suffering.
She observed that patients are languishing in pain at waiting bays in public hospitals as health workers strike persists.
“It is very discouraging to see our Health CS threatening to sack health workers who have been working under difficult circumstances. They don’t even have adequate PPEs to help them fight Covid-19 pandemic,” she averred.
The legislator vowed to vote against the financial bill proposing to set funds for actualizing verification of signatures for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report.
“I will vote no to the bill seeking to allocate funds to the BBI process. Let the government get its priorities right. The fate of health workers and health in general need to be given the required attention,” added Wahome.
She continued: “the funds that are slated to be used facilitate verification of signatures appended on the BBI report should be diverted to address challenges faced in the health docket.”
Speaking elsewhere, Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege said officials of the Ministry of Health should engage the striking health workers in negotiations which will end the persisting strike.
Chege said the blame game should end and all relevant stakeholders discuss and get solutions as Kenyans are suffering as they are trying to access treatment from public hospitals.
The legislator who is chairperson of the parliamentary committee on health added that the committee is dedicated to bring all those concerned together and strike a lasting deal which will see delivery of health care in public facilities is no longer disrupted.
Chege spoke at Gitugi-Kawendo village in Kandara Sub County where she visited a family which has a kin who needs financial support to seek treatment.
Kagwe last week ordered striking health workers back to work or risk sacking saying the court outlawed the strike.
He said the nurses and clinical officers should give negotiations a chance and resume duties as the government is working on modalities to address the raised issues by the health workers.
By Bernard Munyao
