Clinical officers set to receive pay hike, says PS Muraguri

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PS Ministry of Health Dr Nicholas Muraguri. PHOTO/FILE.

Lamu, KENYA: All clinical officers across the country are set to receive the healthcare workers and call allowances from this month,Health PS Nicholas Muraguri has revealed.

In a memo sent to all county governments and health departments the national government has stated that health workers from 17 cadres excluding doctors and nurses will now enjoy the increment effective from March 2017.

Speaking when he toured healthcare facilities in Lamu county on Friday, Muraguri revealed that the allowances the allowances have already been approved by treasury and that the new allowances will now be factored in the county budgets.

The 17 cadres apart from nurses and doctors had demanded that they be paid a sh. 20,000 healthcare allowance and an additional sh. 10,000 for clinical officers for call allowance.

“The new allowances are aimed at improving the terms of service of health care workers in the country, many of whom have to endure long extraneous working hours,” said Muraguri.

Many county governments had been adamant to implement the same fearing they did not have a budgetary capacity to sustain allowances and so the move by the Health ministry comes as a relief for many.

However, when contacted for his views on the new deal,the Interim Chairman for the Kenya Union of Clinical officers Moses Juma expressed reservations over the new pay deal stating that no union member has seen the letter.

“Until we are able to see the actual letter on how much the clinicians are getting nothing is set on stone,” said Juma..

County health executive Mohamed Kombo welcomed the move saying the pay hike would boost morale and normalize operations in hospitals across the county which had been suffering following a go slow by clinicians who were pushing for the allowances.

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