Governor Natembeya threatens to hire doctors from Uganda to replace striking medics
Governor George Natembeya at his office at the Trans Nzoia County Government headquarters in Kitale Town.
Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has threatened to sack striking doctors in his county and source for medics from neighbouring Uganda to fill their positions.
Natembeya made clear his intentions to recruit doctors from across the East African region if medics in the county continue to strike, citing paralyzed health services in public health facilities for the second month running.
"Because East African Community protocols allow free movement of labour, goods and services, I will just declare vacancies and get doctors from Uganda. The Mandera County government has employed doctors from Ethiopia and it is working for them," a visibly agitated Natembeya said on Monday.
According to Natembeya, his administration has implemented all demands made by the doctors and wondered why they have refused to return to work.
He said his government would stop paying the doctors' salaries if they failed to return to work by the end of the month.
Addressing over 3,000 county government employees, Mr Natembeya said his administration fulfilled all the medics’ demands and that the ongoing strike was not justifiable.
"I have implemented all the doctors' issues apart from the promotion of nine doctors, which the County Public Service Board is working on. We have already promoted 30 of them,” explained the county boss.
Graduate clinical officers
He said the devolved unit has no issues with clinical officers because it employed graduate clinical officers.
Governor Natembeya stated that it was in bad faith for doctors in his county who are members of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) to participate in a strike in solidarity with their colleagues in other counties.
“Doctors in other counties are at work, it is only the doctors employed by the National Government that have a problem. It is unfair for us to continue paying them when they are not serving our people,” he said.
“All the striking medics will miss their April pay and they risk jobs from May if they don't resume duty in their work stations,” the governor warned.
Mr Natembeya faulted KMPDU for demanding over Sh200,000 monthly pay for medical interns, terming it too high in the current economy.
"You want us to pay an intern Sh206,000 a month and yet that internship is beneficial to them to get practicing certificates. It is even more than what we pay nurses who guide them during their internship. Doctors at private facilities are paid Sh150,000 and they do a lot of work," he argued.
However, Natembeya agreed with KMPDU that the Ministry of Health should pay all the pending arrears and post interns.
“This pending demands by the doctors is the work of Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha and she should clear the pending arrears,” he said.
