THE HEALTH CRISIS: A MAKING OF THE JUBILEE ADMINISTRATION
By Hon OPIYO WANDAYI, MP
The Health Sector, which for four years Jubilee has been keen to frustrate in order to own as a source of quick stolen money, has now turned into a full blown-crisis with the strike by doctors and nurses.
Lacking solutions as always, the Jubilee leadership of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto who are vocal on many other unimportant issues, have gone quiet, hoping that the problems will sort themselves out.
We all know that Health is largely a devolved function but policy formulation still rests with the National Government. The demands the doctors are making are matters of policy and therefore are in the domain of the National Government.
The same National Government has been blocking proper costing of functions and instead has been clinging to funding meant for such crucial sectors of economy like health for the sole purpose of making such monies available to Jubilee thieves.
The time to show leadership is now. We demand that the President cuts short his political campaigns and intervene to have the normal health services resume and save Kenyans from the anguish and pain they are going through. A president that cannot deliver now has no reason asking to be given another mandate to govern.
We demand that Parliament be recalled from recess and an extraordinary joint session of the National Assembly and Senate be held to deliberate on this urgent matter of national importance with a view to coming up with a permanent solution.
We concur that the doctors, clinical officers, nurses and other health workers deserve better terms of employment which the County Governments cannot offer presently because Jubilee is sitting on monies and some functions meant for the counties. Jubilee must let go of all monies meant for devolved aspects of health with immediate effect.
An administration that can steal billions meant for sensitive health services like maternal health and HIV/AIDS and that can spend Shs.10 million on immobile containers being branded as mobile clinics cannot start telling health workers to tighten their belts and make do with little pay. Such a stance is callous, reckless and unacceptable.
We stand with the health workers. We condemn the President for his silence and his business as usual approach to the crisis. We demand action today, not a day longer.
OPIYO WANDAYI, MP,
SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS.
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