Photo: Jared Ferie/IPS

Ministry of Health to employ 10,000 health workers.

The Ministry of Health is to recruit 10,231 health workers for health centre IIIs and IVs throughout the country.

This follows a release of sh3.5b by the Ministry of Finance for the recruitment process, state minister of investment in the Ministry of Finance Gabriel Ajedra told the parliamentary committee on health on Tuesday.

Personnel to be recruited include medical officers, midwives, anaesthetics, clinical officers, senior nursing officers, health inspectors, laboratory technicians and assistants.

The release of the funds saved the finance ministry from being penalised by Parliament.

Last week, MPs on the health committee had vowed to impose sanctions on the ministry if the money was not released by yesterday.

They had accused the ministry of contempt of Parliament, sabotage and causing loss of lives and had vowed to raise the matter on the floor of Parliament if the money is not released.

The money is part of the sh49.54b the Government had committed itself to add to the health ministry's budget for recruitment and remuneration of health workers. This followed prolonged debates with the legislative arm.

Legislators wanted the health budget increased substantially to enable it recruit health workers as well as equip health centres so as to mitigate death, especially of pregnant mothers.

The Government had committed itself to releasing an initial sh6.5b and the rest as a supplementary budget.

Ajedra said the ministry is planning to release sh3b (the balance from sh6.5b) in the third quarter to facilitate the enhancement of salaries of medical officers at health centre IVs as planned.

He asked MPs to give his ministry a grace period of three months to enable them raise resources required for the supplementary budget.