Clinical Officers issue strike notice over delayed posting of interns and renewal of UHC contracts

Nairobi, Tuesday, May, 30, 2023,

KNA by Daisy Masinde and Susan Wanjiru

The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has issued a strike notice over the delay in the posting of interns and renewal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) contracts for health workers.

Speaking on Monday at Upper hill gardens, KUCO chairman Peterson Wachira stated that hospitals are facing a crisis since clinical officers interns have exited and the Ministry of Health has not posted the current crop of interns.

Wachira said that there is inadequate workforce to manage the hospitals and the remaining workforce in hospitals across the country is not enough, especially those in the inpatient care. 

“The Ministry of Health has failed to communicate on the renewal of health workers contracts as had been agreed upon during the summit meeting in Naivasha. This has compounded the crisis we are experiencing in our hospitals,” remarked Wachira.

“The ministry of health has become both insensitive and unresponsive since the clinical officers' interns have not been posted since June last year. It seems the health sector is no longer working in this country, there is nothing that is running smoothly,” Wachira complained.

Wachira said that on the 15th of May 2023 they gave a 60 days strike notice as healthcare workers because they felt that their employers being the Ministry of Health and the council of governors have actually been treating them to a circus when it comes to the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and pay rise for health workers.  

Wachira added that they had not been able to conclude their collective bargaining agreement for the past four years yet they had started another cycle of 2023 to 2026.

He further threatened that if the ministry refused to post the interns by Monday, then all the 1,840 clinical officers’ interns would come to the ministry of health to get the information by themselves.

The union vowed to take it upon themselves to ensure that the ministry delivered its mandate as per article 43 of the Kenyan constitution which required them to provide the highest attainable standards of health.

The union emphasized on the need to ensure smooth running of the processes that have been ongoing so that the Kenyans can get that basic health coverage that they actually need. Internship has been there since inception in 1928 and it allows a smooth transition from educational institutions.

KUCO Secretary General George Gibore noted that the clinical officers and other workers had not been paid last month's salary.

“Workers are being asked to go to work unpaid causing anxiety and confusion despite the presidential declaration on the extension of their contracts,” he said.

Gibore said that hospitals across the country are not able to function because they don't have the human resources insisting that the Ministry of Health should communicate and be proactive since health is a constitutional right and Kenyans should be sensitized in order to hold their leaders accountable.