As a global public health expert, I want to say that the impact of ongoing strikes is very serious.
The impact will be realised not tomorrow. It will be realised in the next, like, maybe six months, when mortality and morbidity rates will be very high. The government might not know this. Other stakeholders might not know this.
But for the strike of health care providers in the country, the level we have reached, it will impact very, very negatively.
The only problem we have in Kenya is that we rarely do statistics. I expect morbidity and mortality rates to be quite high, given what is happening now.
The situation is confounded by the fact that very few people are subscribed to SHA.
Very few people are getting to the public health facilities because of non-availability of commodities, pharmaceutical commodities and non-pharmaceutical commodities.
The doctors and the nurses and the other health care providers are lethargic. Very lethargic in public health facilities.
Even faith-based and non-faith-based and also non-public health facilities in the country are actually so demoralised.
Faith-based facilities have actually lamented several times that they are not receiving remittance from SHA.
The situation is very bad in the counties.
Things are pathetic as far as health care is concerned.
This country should be careful because in the next few months to come, you will start to see morbidity rates going slightly high. Attributable to health care issues.
According to WHO, you remember there are six pillars of health. One of the leading pillars is health care providers who are so demotivated in the country.
One of the key issues which should be addressed urgently by the two arms of government, that is the county and national government, is the issue of human resources.
Look, we had a strike with the civil aviation.
It was resolved in three days.
Yet healthcare workers, people who are concerned with how to provide health care in this country, have been on strike for the last maybe three months, but they are not resolved.
That's a very big concern.
The global public health expert, former Deputy Director of Medical Services and former Nairobi County Health CEC, spoke to the Star
