This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
Since the inception of counties in Kenya, the devolution of healthcare has been a major headache. The necessity of having counties take charge of this responsibility is not in dispute, as it aims to bring health services closer to the people.
However, the public health sector has been plagued by frequent strikes by medical staff, including doctors and nurses. The doctors' strike lasted several months, and although some calm now prevails, there is still some disquiet.
The counties are now facing another challenge: the need for doctors' specialised training. The counties are reluctant to let doctors go for postgraduate training despite the acute shortage of specialists, citing the cost of paying staff who are away from their stations.
According to a letter to Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, the county governments have confirmed that they are reluctant to release doctors for postgraduate training. The Council of Governors wants the ministry to pay the salaries of the 1,153 doctors, amounting to Sh280 million a month.
Only 23 of the 165 doctors who applied for postgraduate studies this year were cleared, according to the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU). This is a matter that needs to be quickly resolved.
While there is a compelling reason to consider having the national government take back the provision of healthcare portfolio from the counties, a more immediate solution would be for it to take charge of postgraduate training and directly employ all the specialists.
