Early today, we had a critical meeting with Health sector unions, associations, societies, and civil society organizations in Kenya. The purpose of the meeting was to push for the formation of a Health Service Commission (HSC) in the country.
As we know, the Constitution of Kenya (2010) devolved health services to the 47 counties, which was a significant milestone towards providing quality healthcare to all Kenyans. However, the operations of public institutions such as the National Referral facilities and research institutions were left under the National Government, leading to the uncoordinated implementation of health services in the counties and disputes in the sector.
To achieve quality healthcare as envisioned in the Constitution, we need to redefine the scope of all healthcare workers through the establishment of a Health Service Commission. This centralized mechanism for managing human resources for health will have the necessary professional competence to make decisions pertaining to health services, ensure equitable distribution of healthcare workers, and create a conducive labour environment in the public health sector, addressing localized industrial actions in the county governments.
Therefore, we are calling for the formation of the Health Service Commission to provide a more efficient and coordinated approach to the delivery of health services in the country. This will enable the country to achieve quality healthcare for all, as envisioned in the Constitution.
Together, we can make this a reality.
