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Kenya: New Ministry to Hire 6,000 Workers
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The Nation (Nairobi)
23 April 2008
Posted to the web 22 April 2008
Samwel Kumba
Nairobi
About 6,000 public health workers will be hired in the next three years to reduce a shortage of staff in the sector, a Cabinet minister said on Tuesday.
Every year, about 123 doctors and 500 nurses leave the sector to work in private hospitals or seek better opportunities abroad. This puts a severe strain on public health centres especially in rural areas.
The Medical Services ministry has 35,000 health workers serving in 2,513 hospitals countrywide. Minister Anyang' Nyong'o said the Government will also employ staff to work in health units built using Constituency Development Funds.
"There is a response from the Government on a yearly basis on the remuneration issue, but I appeal to health workers to realise that it cannot be solved overnight," he said.
Services
He also promised to implement the decision to finance faith and community based health centres beginning next month. The move will ensure that they continue to play a key role in delivering medical services to the public.
The decision was reached after the Government learnt that improvements in service delivery in the public hospitals had reduced the number of patients visiting faith and community-based hospitals.
According to the minister, this led to a decline in the revenues collected by the hospitals, which play a key role in providing health services especially in rural areas.
Prof Nyong'o, who is yet to be sworn in as minister, also promised policy reforms in the ministry.
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Assistant minister Danson Mungatana promised to work with the new minister to ensure health facilities offer quality services.
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