Understaffing of the Kitui health department has reduced workers to beasts of burden leading to resignations, a county assembly committee report says.
The report by the Labour and Social Welfare Committee adopted by the House on Wednesday adopted says health staff work for long hours for low pay.
“Some departments have very low staffing ratios and end up working for long hours due to the immense duties assigned to them,” committee chairman Munyoki Mwinzi said while moving the report in the assembly.
Mwinzi further said workers who qualify for promotion get none. He said health facilities do not have the right equipment, leaving some qualified staff idle. He said some officers had resigned due to lack of machines in their departments.
Claims of poor working conditions of health workers prompted the committee to undertake a survey to ascertain the veracity of the allegations.
The report that was presented during a sitting presided over by temporary speaker Fredrick Nthuri recommends the department of health and sanitation should ensure facilities that were upgraded to level four are facilitated to offer quality health care.
Mwinzi called for employment of additional health workers to avoid over-working available staff. Working conditions should be improved to stop resignations.
the report said the need to have additional and requisite number of health workers for quality health care provision could not be gainsaid.
“Some officers cannot proceed on leave since there is no reliever and if they proceed on leave a big gap is left which cannot be effectively filled,” said Charles Maema (Maema ward) who seconded the report.
Kiomo/Kyethani MCA James Musyoka said some ambulances are broken down while others cannot reach needy residents due to poor status of the roads.
