NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 5 – Members of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) have protested their exclusion from the Social Health Authority (SHA) empanelment.
The union accussed the SHA board of deliberately excluding clinical officers and their facilities from contracting and pre-authorization procedures under the scheme.
KUCO Secretary-General George Gibore called on President William Ruto to disband the SHA Board and reconstitute it with individuals who understand the mission and vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“The cartel that was bedeviling NHIF has started to regroup; it is regrouping under SHA. The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) invites all Clinical Officers to join in a peaceful demonstration against the SHA Board’s discriminatory practices. We must act collectively to protect our profession, defend our rights, and advocate for equitable healthcare access for Kenyans,” Gibore said.
In addition, nurses are protesting their denial of pre-authorization rights to request diagnostic imaging or perform critical medical procedures under the SHA framework. Gibore argued that these restrictions undermine nurses’ ability to provide quality care and limit patients’ access to essential health services.
He further accused relevant authorities, including the Principal Secretary, of ignoring their appeals for resolution, leaving their concerns unaddressed.
“This demonstration is a fight for justice, the integrity of our profession, and the well-being of millions of Kenyans who rely on Clinical Officers for healthcare services,” Gibore emphasized.
Meanwhile, doctors affiliated with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) have announced plans to strike starting December 22 in solidarity with unpaid intern doctors.
KMPDU Secretary-General Davji Atellah highlighted a four-month pay delay that has adversely affected interns, describing the situation as untenable.
“It is on the backdrop of these unfulfilled promises and impunity against our interns by both the national and county governments that the 10th KMPDU special delegate sitting on 30th November 2024 ratified the National Advisory Council (NAC) decision for industrial action,” Atellah stated.
Atellah also revealed that five doctors have lost their lives in the past two months due to work-related stress, hardships, and the lack of responsive insurance coverage.
He further criticized the government for slashing intern doctors’ wages by 70 per cent, calling it an unprecedented and unjust action in the history of labor relations in Kenya and globally.
Source: capitalfm
