By Dishon Amanya – Bungoma
Kenya Environmental Health And Public Health Practitioners Union Presses For More Inclusion On Primary Health Care As It Formalizes Grassroot Existence.
The Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health practitioners union has today formalized its existence in Bungoma County and elected its County officials.
The union which brings together public health officers, technicians and specialists has vowed to champion for reforms and welfare of workers in order to step up actualization of primary health care and preventive measures.
Speaking to journalists after the election, the National General Secretary for the union Brown Ashira lauded Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka for making progressive strides in hiring and confirming Public health staff.
However, he has called upon Lusaka to increase the slots for employment that are commensurate with the workload so that service delivery can be enhanced.
“We applaud the governor for making health care part of his legacy regime, however we want him to remember that the foot soldiers in primary health care are public health officers and most of them are working as volunteers, they deserve better welfare,” he said.
His sentiments were reiterated by Chairman of the Association of Public health officers Bungoma chapter Philip Sagini who said the Public health officers deserve to be appreciated and dignified since they are foot soldiers in all public health issues including the upsurging MPOX outbreak.
“We are appealing to the county to consider increasing the number of Public health officers in every employment slot so that they step up prevention of diseases as a way to deal with major illnesses,” he said.
During the election Gabriel Araka was elected as the branch secretary general while Monica Birechi was elected as the branch chair.
Consequently, they have called upon Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Mulongo to spearhead the promotion of UHC staff to permanent and pensionable staff citing that the public health cadre in the program has been highly miscreated.
It should be remembered that Bungoma County has a shortage of 150 public health officers at the moment, forcing the existing staff to serve thousands of Kenyans contrally to World Health Organization prescriptions
