Counties threaten to withdraw registrars' salaries

What you need to know:

  • They have been warned that failure to go back to their counties to help in the response of Covid-19 will result in them not receiving their monthly pay.
  • This move threatens to puncture the fight against the coronavirus as they are already required to discharge their medical services where they are currently undertaking their specialist training.

County governments have threatened to stop paying salaries to doctors in postgraduate training should they fail to go back to their respective counties, amid the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19).

In a letter directed to government-sponsored registrars, they have been warned that failure to go back to their counties to help in the response of Covid-19 will result in them not receiving their monthly pay.

According to a letter by Embu County Secretary Johnson Nyaga, medics who failed to adhere to the recall directive to go back to Embu Level Five Hospital would not receive their pay.

“Reference is made to our letter dated March 23 recalling back to duty all medics on study and annual leave. They were expected to report back by March 30. However, some did not adhere to that. This letter is to direct you to stop their salaries with immediate effect,” read Nyaga’s directive letter to the County’s payroll manager.

Following the presidential directive on the management of the coronavirus counties had recalled all medics on study and annual leave back with immediate effect for the next 30 days.

“This, therefore, is to direct all health staff who are on study leave to report to the office of the County Secretary by March 30 for further deployment,” read one of the county-signed letters seen by Nation.

But this move threatens to puncture the fight against the coronavirus in the country, especially because most of these registrars are already required to discharge their medical services in hospitals where they are currently undertaking their specialist training.

In fact, two weeks ago Ministry of Health Director-General Dr Patrick Amoth in a letter to County chief executives for health said that all postgraduate students at the University of Nairobi’s school of health sciences will continue reporting to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

“Despite the closure of the main university, services rendered by the College of Health Science remain in place as indicated in various communications from the Dean’s office as well as the Vice-Chancellor of the Nairobi University. This includes the teaching and engagement of postgraduate scholars in medical school.

This, therefore, presupposes their main posting during this time remains Kenyatta National Hospital,” said Dr Amoth’s letter dated March 31.

He further added that recalling the doctors-in-training to county health facilities would “negate the current efforts and service needs in the face of the ongoing pandemic.”

“We seek your indulgence to see respective government and county placements,” he added.

With 179 confirmed cases and six deaths from Covid-19, Kenya has been putting in place last resort measures to contain the spread of the virus which would result in an overwhelmed health system. Some of the stopgaps the country has come up with include hiring 6,000 health workers to help fight the coronavirus outbreak. Of these, 5,000 will be deployed to counties, and 1,000 will remain at the national hospitals, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said at a media briefing last week.

The exercise, however, had to be called off after the process was marred by wrangles between the national and county governments on who should carry out the hiring process of the health workers.

On Friday, the chairman of the Council of Governors Wycliffe Oparanya asked the Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and the Public Service Commission chairman Stephen Kirogo to immediately call off the exercise and allow counties do it.

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Africa has risen to more than 10,000 and caused more than 500 deaths. While the virus was slow to reach the continent compared to other parts of the world, infection has grown exponentially in recent weeks and continues to spread.

Initially, mainly confined to capital cities, a significant number of countries in Africa are now reporting cases in multiple provinces, and in Kenya’s case, counties.

“Covid-19 has the potential not only to cause thousands of deaths, but to also unleash economic and social devastation. Its spread beyond major cities means the opening of a new front in our fight against this virus,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa.

“This requires a decentralised response, which is tailored to the local context. Communities need to be empowered, and provincial and district levels of government need to ensure they have the resources and expertise to respond to outbreaks locally.”