Thirty of the 61 medical doctors sacked last month by Laikipia county government have reported back to work.
The medics resumed duties after responding to the ‘show cause’ letters issued to them.
Governor Ndiritu Muriithi sacked the 61 doctors who had been on a three-week strike on June 24.
“We will be going to the market to advertise for these positions. In the meantime, all the managers in the sector will be deployed to clinical services” Muriithi said.
County executive for health services Lenai Kamario on Wednesday told journalists officials in the ministry have been supporting the returning health workers offer services to patients.
“Health managers at various levels from the acting chief officer, directors and section heads have continued to provide support in the two hospitals alongside the 30 doctors,” Kamario said.
He spoke at Nanyuki Teaching and Referral hospital.
Kamario said that the county Public Service Board had advertised for 40 vacant positions of medical officers, specialists, pharmacists and dentists and is in the shortlisting candidates from 153 applications received.
He said that efforts to keep the health facilities running during the strike have resulted in rising numbers of inpatients across the county.
At the Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital, there were 78 patients admitted on Wednesday while there were none on June 10.
In Nyahururu County Hospital, there were 79 inpatients were on Wednesday.
“In the last financial year, our health facilities attended to 1,263,682 outpatient cases. Nanyuki and Nyahururu hospitals attended to 896,410 outpatients,” he said.
The health executive said that the process of elevating the Nanyuki and Nyahururu Teaching and Referral hospitals into level five status was on course.
It will, however, require a massive investment in skilled staff, commodities, infrastructure, quality of care and information technology.
Strike notice
On May 24, the medics through the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentist’s Union issued a strike notice to the county government.
The notice by KMPDU secretary general Ouma Oluga accused the county government of failing to respond to issues of the designation of specialists to the right job groups.
Other grievances were on the payment of arrears arising from the delayed promotions and the formation of a CBA implementation committee.
“KMPDU regrettably notes that your county has not responded to calls to meet and implement key clauses in the implementation of the CBA” read the notice.
Governor Muriithi rejected the demands and threatened to sack all workers who would go ahead with the strike and took issue with those going on study leave.
“They should first complete their studies and then come back to work so that they can continue drawing salaries,” Muriithi said.
(edited by O. Owino)
