Clinical officers have issued a 14-day strike notice, threatening to begin a nationwide strike on 19th January over grievances with the government. The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) accused the government of excluding them from the Social Health Authority (SHA) rollout and violating last year’s return-to-work agreement.
KUCO Secretary General George Gibore condemned the exclusion as discriminatory and criticized the requirement for clinical officers to license their facilities with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to participate in the new healthcare scheme.
“This discrimination and exclusion has been occasioned by the blatant, illegal and illogical refusal by Social Health Authority to recognise the facilities and practitioners registered and licensed by Clinical Officers Council,” Gibore said.
The union also faulted the Ministry of Health and county governments for failing to honor their previous agreement.
“We see these as acts of regularised corruption and pursuit of self-interests rather than the common good,” Gibore said, adding that they have reached out to President William Ruto, Parliament, the Ministry of Health (MoH) and SHA, to no response.
Further, the clinical officers said MoH and county governments have breached the return-to-work agreement they signed last year as the union called off their 99-day strike.
The agreement comprised a collective bargaining agreement, promotions, comprehensive medical cover and the confirmation of universal health coverage (UHC) clinical officers and those in short-term contractual employment into permanent and pensionable employment terms.