Vihiga health workers issue one-month strike notice

Health workers in Vihiga County have issued a one-month strike notice over lack of essential medical supplies in public hospitals.

In a petition, the doctors, nurses, and clinicians said they will down their tools if their grievances will not have been addressed by May 1, 2025.

Dr Clarence Eboso, the health workers’ representative, said public hospitals in Vihiga County lack essential medical supplies and equipment, making it difficult to deliver services.

The crisis was highlighted in a meeting at Vihiga County Referral Hospital (VCRH), where 73 health workers gathered under the Kenya County Government Workers Union, Vihiga Branch.

In a petition to the county government, the health workers said patients are forced to purchase basic medications from external vendors due to persistent stockouts.

The most affected facility is the county referral hospital.

"Emergency drug deliveries from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) have not arrived since March 2024, leaving hospitals without critical medications.

"Anaesthesia machines are nonfunctional, the county’s only CT scan has been out of service since October 2024, and safety hood for oncology drugs remains unrepaired," said Dr Eboso.

The health workers want the county to address the prolonged salary delays, particularly for locum workers who make up 60 per cent of the county’s healthcare workforce.

 "Before December 2024, staff received timely payments when hospital management controlled finances, but bureaucratic delays have since become routine," read part of their petition.

The health workers also alleged that since July 2024, approximately Sh700,000 has been withdrawn weekly from the referral hospital’s cash revenue account under the county’s financial control.

The medics demanded the restoration of hospital accounts to professional health managers by the end of March.

They want long-serving locum staff to be employed on permanent basis and emergency drugs and essential supplies be replenished.

"Should these critical supplies and demands not be met, health workers have declared they will begin referring patients to better-equipped hospitals," read part of the petition.

Furthermore, the unions plan to petition the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to investigate the ongoing financial mismanagement within the finance department.

But the county government has distanced itself from allegations of financial impropriety, insisting that efforts to resolve the crisis were already underway.

Health County Executive Committee Member Julius Maruja, said Governor Wilber Ottichilo formed a committee, chaired by the county attorney, to investigate the concerns.

The CEC in a statement indicated that a consignment of medical and non-pharmaceutical supplies had already been ordered from Kemsa and was awaiting delivery.

"The Hospital Management Team was also instructed to finalise all procurement requisitions by March 28 and submit a prioritised list of suppliers by April 1 for the settlement of outstanding claims. Additionally, the Facility Improvement Fund Committee has been directed to distribute funds to health facilities to ensure the availability of essential supplies," read part of the press release.

The CEC acknowledged that delays in reimbursements from the Social Health Authority and the National Treasury for February and March had negatively affected cash flow, making it difficult to procure drugs and medical equipment.

The county administration dismissed allegations that the Chief Officer of Finance had been withdrawing Sh700,000 weekly from health funds, explaining that hospital collections are transferred weekly to special accounts at the Central Bank of Kenya in compliance with financial management regulations.

The county government urged the health workers to embrace dialogue as opposed to downing tools.