The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) wants the government to hire 1,000 doctors to help the country fight the rising number of coronavirus cases.
The union in a statement signed by Chairman Oroko Obegi called for the inclusion of Covid-19 in the Second Schedule of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2007 and the creation of a Sh3 billion Occupational Injury and Disease Fund to cover all front-line workers.”Across the globe, doctors and other front-line workers have been adversely affected in the line of duty, over 100 doctors in the US, Italy, France, Germany and other countries have died and there is, therefore, need for urgency to develop a comprehensive compensation package,” the union said.Dr Oroko said that doctors were anxious about the availability of personal protective equipment (PPEs) in the country, and urged the public to support the union to procure the same for members.
Oroko said The Caring For Carers Fund will enable KMPDU to procure and supply PPEs to doctors. “The union has allocated Sh3 million of its internal resources as a seed amount and a committee has been appointed immediately for the management of this fund,” read the statement in part. KMPDU is also making an argument for the establishment of a Health Services Commission to manage health workers.
“The conflict between the national and county governments in the urgent need for employment of health workers to combat Covid-19 greatly highlights this,” Oroko said.
Allan Mungai
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