Doctors and nurses unions have accused the ministry of plotting to ax out the health director-general through the health laws amendment bill 2020
In a press briefing in Nairobi, issuing a statement on behalf of Kenya Medical Practitioners Union, KMPDU, Kenya union Of Nurses Union, KNUN, Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical technologist,(KNUPT) Kenya union of clinical officers George Gibore faulted the ministry of health over the move to amend the proposed health laws “dubbed Health Amendment Act 2020 “indicating that such development is odious.
Gibore said that the proposal to remove the director-general of health from regulatory bodies and replace the bearer with the health principle secretary is meant to deny the professional regulatory body a technical expert in the council.
He also complained about the plans to remove professional associations from regulatory bodies saying that such action is ill-advised.
Gobore insisted that associations are meant to advance the professional development of a given profession.
“It is our considered opinion that removing professional associations from the council amounts to muting the voice of the health professional in its regulatory body,”Gibore said
The bill contains amendments to statutes such as clinical officers training and licensing act, No 20 0f 2017, Nurses act cap 257, pharmacy and poisons act cap 244, The cancer prevention and Control Act 2007 among others.
The unions pointed that the health law amendments Bill 2020 ought to make wide-ranging amendments to various health-related statutes on health policy to foster efficiency and lead to the realization of the Big four agenda and universal health care.
