Is Susan Nakhumicha thinking about leaving RUTO’s administration because she is under too much pressure?
Susan Nakhumicha, the cabinet secretary for health, has denied romors that she is thinking of leaving President William Ruto’s administration due to the continuing doctors’ strike.
In an interview, Nakhumicha stated that she would not be stepping down since she was prepared to carry out the tasks and deliverables that Ruto had given her.
Nakhumicha vowed to break the impasse with the doctors as soon as possible, insisting that it was time for the nation to know exactly who she was.
“A crisis puts a leader’s ability and capacity to lead to the test. Thus, at these points, individuals will be aware of Nakhumicha’s identity, as the CS observed.
They may have just started to notice me. We’re going to find a long-term solution to this problem,” Nakhumicha declared.
As per the CS, the strikes by doctors were caused by the grievances mentioned in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was signed in 2017 but ended before its term.
Nakhumicha stated that the increase in graduates who have subsequently been assigned as interns prevented the full implementation of the 2017 CBA, which permitted intern doctors to receive Ksh206,000.
Additionally, the CS said that as interns were not workers, they were not eligible for compensation.
But after the last CBA expired, the CS pointed out that new talks and the signing of a new one were still possible.
According to Nakhumicha, the Ministry was determined to address a few of the doctors’ concerns.
In addition, those outside the Ministry’s budget presented a problem.
NAKHUMICHA CAUGHT UP IN DEGREE CROSSFIRE
Why Susan Wafula, the Health CS nominee, does not get her degree recognized
Susan Nakhumicha Wafula, the candidate for Health Cabinet Secretary, was forced to justify her educational background and “Doctor” title on Wednesday.
When Ms. Wafula appeared before the Committee on Appointments of the National Assembly, Speaker Moses Wetangula referred to her as “Dr. Wafula.” Because of this title, Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa questioned the veracity of her documents.
The MP questioned the Speaker’s use of the name “Dr. Wafula” given that she was not a licensed physician and did not have the necessary paperwork, including a purported degree from a Turkish university.
“After looking through the copies of certificates in our files, I don’t see anything that has to do with a doctor other than a Diploma in Health Care from the Institute of Management, and even the degree from Turkey is not in the file,” Ichung’wa stated. “I want her (Wafula) to clarify whether she is a doctor.”
Ms. Wafula said that although she had completed an online degree at EGE University in Turkey, she was unable to register as a pharmacist at the time due to variations in laws and regulations between Kenya and Turkey.
The CS designate clarified, “I completed a degree in pharmacy from Turkey, but I also stated that I did not manage to be registered by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board Board (PPB) due to the discrepancy in requirements.
“I was working while pursuing that degree, and I was obliged by the PPB and national laws to do another year-round internally. However, at that time, I was still working, had a life to lead, and other dependents I needed to attend to.so I wasn’t signed up.
“I have always not placed my degree document in my folder so that questions do not arise because of that registration,” she continued.
Regarding her educational background, Ms. Wafula stated that she completed her pharmaceutical technologist training at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in 2000.
She then finished her degree in Turkey before enrolling in JKUAT to pursue a second degree in procurement and supplies.
SALT ON THE WOUND, NATIONAL UNION OF NURSES REJECT STIPENDS
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s (SRC) suggested stipends for medical interns have been rejected by the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN).
Please take note that the Nursing Scheme of Service is violated by your plan and the commissions’ advice since job Group K, which comprises degree holders, places nurse interns under a common establishment. Additionally, take notice that the Scheme of Service serves as the foundation for the Nursing Internship Program, which facilitates understanding of the Internship Policy as it pertains to nurses, according to Panyako.
Panyako has insisted that the suggested stipend plan be dropped within seven days, failing which the nurses will take legal action.
As a result, we would want to make you aware that following such ignorant advice would be unfair to our profession and that it should be placed on pause while other stakeholders are consulted.
Thus, the goal of our letter is to demand that the contested SRC advise be withdrawn within seven days. If this is not done, Panyako continued, “our members will be compelled to oppose any changes made to the benefits associated with the internship program by any means possible, including legal action.”
A monthly salary of Ksh27,000 to Ksh70,000 would be awarded to medical interns, including doctors, according to the plans seen by newsaih.com
The ideas were rejected by nurses a few days after they were rejected by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentist Union (KMPDU), who described them as exploitative.
“An intern’s work log will wow you with how much work they manage—they handle it all. Dennis Miskellah, the deputy secretary general of KMPDU, stated, “When Susan claims that interns make a lot of money and asks for a review of interns’ pay without consulting us or the commission, it shows hypocrisy and malice.”
INTERN NURSE PLACEMENT
Panyako asserted in a separate letter to Mary Muriuki, the Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, that the government had ceased to post nursing interns as of the previous year.
“The Public Service Commission accepted the internship policy that the Union advocated for, stating that the Ministry would place Bachelor of Science Nursing interns on a one-year internship program. In order to enable them to participate in an internship program under JG-K on full sponsorship by that time, the Union worked with the Ministry of Health to negotiate a budget for 500 BScN interns, which was later expanded to 2000 “Panyako said.
“Up until last year, when the Union discovered that the BScN nurses who were scheduled for internships had not been placed for unspecified reasons, this process had been proceeding without any problems. Giving interns practical experience for professional and career growth goes against the internship’s guiding concept, which is to foster professionalism in nursing. Therefore, the goal of this letter is to ask your capable office to furnish us with the most recent information regarding the status of internship postings so that the pertinent officials are informed.”
Doctors are now on strike in protest of inadequate funding for the health sector, demanding financial commitments to fund all signed CBAs, starting with Ksh425 billion more allocated to the counties.
They also object to the Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital’s refusal to sign a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the harmonization of doctor salaries on short-term contractual terms—which they perceive as discriminatory—the conversion of those salaries to permanent and pensionable terms, consultant promotions, and study leave provisions.
The doctors state in their CBA, “We shall not relent if medical training universities fail to sign a recognition agreement, deduct and remit Union dues, harmonize clinical allowance, and provide medical coverage.”
In an attempt to convince the physicians, the Ministry of Health is scheduled to convene again at the end of this week.
