Clinical officers threaten strike over exclusion of their facilities from SHA

The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has raised concerns over the exclusion of facilities accredited by the Clinical Officers Council from participating in the newly launched Social Health Authority (SHA) system.

The union is now threatening to hold demonstrations if the government does not include these facilities in the healthcare scheme within two weeks.

KUCO, led by its Secretary-General George Gibore, argues that despite their significant role in healthcare delivery, the Ministry of Health has side-lined clinical officers in the SHA rollout.

The union says many facilities accredited by the now-defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) have been unfairly excluded from the new SHA framework.

“This unlawful exclusion has resulted in over 1,000 facilities owned by clinical officers, 834 of which were previously registered under NHIF, being denied entry into SHA. This clear conflict of interest is a deliberate move to arm-twist clinical officers to register under KMPDC,” Gibore explained on Friday.

Clinical officers assert that they provide 70 per cent of clinical services in the country and that the exclusion of their facilities from SHA will severely impact access to healthcare.

The union has demanded that the government immediately enlists and publishes all healthcare facilities registered by the Clinical Officers Council, as required by law.

They are also pushing for the Ministry of Health to fulfil previous agreements made with clinical officer interns.

The interns have not received their stipends or medical cover, six months after they walked out of their duty stations on September 26, 2024.

“Since their placement in April, they have not received their stipends or medical covers. Many of them sleep in hospital wards and eat patients’ food to survive. Over 3,000 clinical officer interns are in limbo, awaiting posting amidst this mess,” Gibore noted.

Return-to-work formula violations

The union further criticised the Ministry of Health for failing to honour the return-to-work formula which promised clinical officer interns a monthly stipend and medical cover.

With these promises unfulfilled, KUCO officials say interns are living in dire conditions, as they await proper posting and compensation.

The clinical officers have given the Ministry of Health an ultimatum: either include them in the SHA panel of service providers and disburse the dues owed to interns or face protests.

“SHA must immediately empanel and publish the list of deserving clinical officers submitted by the council, and must also empanel and publish all clinical officer-owned facilities registered under the Clinical Officers Council,” Gibore said.

With frustration mounting, KUCO has warned that failure to meet their demands will result in demonstrations by union members across the country.

The union insists that the government’s move to exclude clinical officers’ facilities undermines their role in healthcare delivery and poses a threat to the broader healthcare system.

The two-week ultimatum sets the stage for a potential standoff between clinical officers and the Ministry of Health, as they push for inclusion in the SHA and fair treatment for their interns.