As the doctors’ strike enters the 12th day, the discord between medics and Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha continues to be in the eyes of the public.
A panel discussion on Daybreak on Monday brought together various leaders in the medicine profession, who faulted the CS for mishandling the current impasse.
Dr. Dennis Miskellah, the Deputy Secretary General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) opined that Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakumicha has single-handedly mismanaged the current crisis, saying that she simply just had to post interns.
“It has been very embarrassing listening to the Cabinet secretary because of the crisis we find ourselves in,” he said.
“The internship issue was so simple, that she just had to post the interns. I have been informed by people from Afya House that what they did not do was defend the budget for internship and training. So when the treasury went back and saw that they had not defended the issue, they said this was a non-priority area, and money was taken away,” he said.
He accused the CS of not cooperating and listening to the union’s demands.
“We have continuously engaged her and called her she does not pick up phone calls. We write letters, but they are not replied to,” he said.
Miskellah stated that the demonstrations are not being sponsored by any party or organisation. He added that in their union’s monthly contributions, they set money aside to cater for occasions such as demonstrations.
“The only thing we sponsor is giving them a bottle of water. Everything else they buy with their own money.”
Concurring with Miskellah was the President of the Kenya Medical Association (KMA), Dr. Simon Kigondu, who stated that Nakhumicha and her Treasury counterpart Njuguna Ndung’u should be questioned.
“When the ministry doesn’t budget for interns and comes and says we are waiting for the next budgeting cycle; the bag stops at her,” he said.
He accused the Health CS of fueling the doctors’ strike.
“The Health CS has actually fueled this strike. We were actually observing when the strike began, and of course, there are demands…and it started simply; do the CBA and post interns. When you demonstrate on that, someone is shot, and you make careless remarks,” Kigondu added.
The KMA president argued that the Cabinet Secretary of Health is a fantastic politician, but in health, you do not play politics.
“What the CS of health is doing is playing politics with a profession that does not play politics. When you play politics with health, as the President of Kenya Obstetrics and Gynecology Society said, women start dying,” he said.
Also present on Daybreak was the chairperson of the Rural Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) Dr. Brian Lishenga, who stated that the Health CS was just following orders from her superiors.
“I think that in reality, Nakhumicha is just following orders. She’s basically doing what she’s supposed to do,” he said.
He commented that the last time Ministries were truly independent was during Former President Mwai Kibaki’s presidency.
“The last time we had ministers or cabinet secretaries who were truly independent was during Mwai Kibaki’s time. If you saw Karisa Maitha moving around town you knew that was Karisa Maitha’s thing,” said Lishenga.
“Today what we have, and forgive me for using this, we have automatons and drones in the form of Cabinet secretaries. so essentially if you see Nakhumicha saying anything, I can assure you it is not Nakumicha speaking.”
The RUPHA chairperson opined that there is a financial crisis at the heart of the government and somebody is not being honest.
“In our case as hospitals, we have been pressuring NHIF to pay bills but we have come to understand that even putting pressure on NHIF is a fool’s errand because NHIF simply doesn’t have the money,” he uttered.
“NHIF is pleading with the national treasury to release money and guess who the national treasury answers to. I do not think the National Treasury wakes up in the morning and says today we feel like paying doctors. These decisions are made higher up.”
He advised doctors to maintain their demands, adding that there is a need for the government to prioritize health care.
“What we need is a commitment from the highest level of government, to sort out this issue. This is a money problem, someone needs to be instructed to release money and prioritize the health sector.”
So far, talks between the Ministry of Health and doctors union have failed to bear fruit. This even after an intervention by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
