The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentist Union (KMPDU) has challenged the national government and devolved units to invest in employing more doctors and health specialists.
KMPDU Secretary General Dr Devji Atella says for Universal Health Coverage to be a success, there is a need for the existing hospital to have sufficient human resources.
According to Dr Atella, even with the best medical equipment and hospitals, there will be no services without doctors and specialists.
“Universal Health Coverage will be a mirage if we don’t invest in human resources for health. You can have the best hospitals and infrastructure but without personnel to work, it becomes a mirage,” said the KMPDU boss.
He noted that it is time over 5,000 unemployed doctors are absorbed into the health sector as well as employment of more health specialists.
Further, the doctors’ union secretary general says they have been engaging with the council of governors’’ on the need to have Level 5, 4, and 3 health facilities act as such – something that can only be actualized with relevant specialists in place.
MES project
Dr Attela also pointed out that one of the reasons the Managed Equipment Service (MES) project did not fully succeed was due to a lack of skilled health human resources.
MES is a project rolled out during the first term of the Jubilee government that saw medical equipment supplied to county hospitals.
Under the project launched in 2015, renal, laboratory, ICU, radiology and theatre equipment were sent to at least two hospitals in each of the 47 counties for a seven-year period.
However, some of the equipment was never utilized due to among others lack of personnel to operate them.
But recently, President William Ruto said they had agreed to extend the project on a county-to-county-need basis.
“For UHC to succeed, more specialists, doctors, nurses and all health carders should be employed,” noted the KMPDU national secretary general.
