Senators want the government to clarify whether there are plans to restrict qualified unemployed Kenyan health workers from seeking work abroad.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifina, who sought a statement from the Standing Committee on Health, wants the government to state whether there exists the Workforce Migration Policy which seeks to restrict qualified health workers from seeking jobs overseas.
“The government should explain the rationale for such a policy, if it exists, in light of the plight of the thousands of qualified but unemployed health workers,” he said.
Sifuna said the ministry should state what it is doing to ensure that all qualified but jobless doctors in the country are being employed expeditiously.
He said the ministry should outline the measures that have been put in place, if any, to revise and upgrade the remuneration of healthcare practitioners to ensure a fair and conducive working environment.
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale said the government should explain if it intends to deny the non-practice allowance paid to doctors and clinical officers who work in public hospitals.
“This is meant to cushion them when they are working in public practice because they do not enjoy the opportunity to benefit from their skills in private medical practice,” he said.
Non-practising allowance is not paid to doctors in private practice but to doctors in the civil service.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said Kenyans need to why the directive that doctors are not supposed to travel was given yet a number of them are qualified yet are unemployed.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi said the policy is going to discourage people from taking courses like medicine.
“After the course, you end up not getting a job or not being able to travel out of the country,” he said.
“We cannot be having doctors who are trained, not able to work or travel.”
Osotsi said it was shocking to learn from the media that over 4,000 doctors are unemployed.
