Kakamega County has hired 14 doctors on a contract basis to replace doctors on strike demanding better wages.
According to County Health Executive Bernard Wesonga, the medical professionals might be hired on permanent and pensionable terms whenever normalcy resumes.
Kakamega Teaching County Referral Hospital requires 50 medical professionals to be functional, but it now has 24 doctors, with ten on permanent and pensionable terms and 14 on contract.
The 14 were employed approximately a month ago when doctors went on strike.
Dr Wesonga stated that all ten doctors engaged on permanent and pensionable conditions are on strike.
"They are our employees and they are on strike but we thought it wise to hire others under the Locum arrangement to ensure continuity of services at the facility."
“We are attending to many patients, this being a referral hospital many patients are referred to this facility because it is where we have specialists and consultants and to ensure continuous delivery of health services, even if it is at an optimal level, we had to look for a solution and we employed the 14 doctors," said Wesonga.
The Health CEC noted that the doctors' strike has hampered healthcare delivery at public hospitals.
The 14 physicians will oversee theatrical, surgical, and special clinic services impacted by the strike.
A quick inspection of the facility found that a regional cancer center at the County Referral Hospital has just one oncologist doctor and is now overseen by one oncology nurse.
Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula had previously stated that the county government would begin hiring physicians on contract this week to replace the striking medics.
“Starting this week (Monday), we are hiring new doctors on Locum basis so that our public hospitals can continue working and offering health services to our people who pay taxes and expect to get medical care because it is their right,” he added.
