City Hall to retrench doctors, says county has too many

Nairobi County secretary Robert Ayisi. He has said City Hall will use the ongoing doctors’ strike to reduce the high number of hospital workers by retrenching some of them. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Already, 63 doctors have received letters to show cause why they should not be sacked.
  • Dr Ayisi said the they will audit the optimal number of doctors and specialists needed in each hospital.
  • He said specialists will hired on contract and work on call since they are not required all the time.

The Nairobi City County government will use the ongoing doctors’ strike to reduce the high number of hospital workers by retrenching some of them.

Already, 63 doctors have received letters to show cause why they should not be sacked for participating in the strike.

Speaking at City Hall on Thursday, County Secretary Robert Ayisi said the Health department is doing an audit of the optimal number of doctors and specialists needed in each hospital.

“We have so many doctors and specialists in our hospitals who are just stepping on each other as they do not have much to do. We have to downsize after the audit,” said Dr Ayisi.

He said the city has 324 doctors, who he said are too many, and the number will be reduced depending on the workload at various hospitals.

He singled out Mbagathi Hospital, which has 42 medical officers, and Pumwani, which has 37, whose work, he said, can be done by at most 10 people since most of the work is done by clinical officers and midwives.

He said specialists will be hired on contract and work on call since they are not required all the time.

He added that once the hospitals’ audit is completed, they will advertise available positions.

Doctors on strike will also be free to apply, but they will have to abide by the terms set by the county government.

Dr Ayisi also revealed that the county will not accept interns posted by the national government.