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LUKE KAPCHANGA DN/WEBUYE DOCTORS 22/4/2005
Ninety-one state doctors who are facing the sack have chance to defend themselves against accusations of taking on private patients.
Health permanent secretary Mr Patrick Khaemba said that the normal ministry procedure is to give everybody an opportunity to defend and clear his/her name.
"We have an appeals process for somebody accused to defend him/her self -and the displinary procedure occasionaly takes long," the PS said.
The government he cautioned is to to prosecute health workers who pose as ghosts and whose salaries has been stoped after discovery.
This , Mr Khaemba said is because of the reforms in the health ministry and despite the setbacks created by the impending sacking of doctors more are to be employed to ensure quality services are offered.
Mr Khaemba stated that the ministry had colaborated with the Public Service Commission before stoping the salaries of the affected doctors who faces dismisal.
But the PS was straight foward on the doctors chances of appealing not succeeding because most of them are guilty.
"Our investigations showed that most of them are guilty and knows it and can never dare to challenge the move," Mr Khaemba said.
Health minister Charity Ngilu has ordered inspectors to swoop on private clinics to flush out any state staff working there to face action.
Twenty -nine doctors facing displinary action were found to have taken other jobs while still in government services, and 62 had simply deserted their duties.
Speaking at the opening of Sirare health centre in Sirisia constituency , Bungoma district, Mr Khaemba warned that the government was not going to accomadate doctors and health staffs who cheat on them.
Once the ministry acertain that a doctor, or a nurse is cheating by spending working hours at their private clinics then they will not be spared he insisted.
The ministry he added, had already written to the affected doctors to show cause why they should not be displined after investigations were done.
He however noted that the ministry does not deny doctors to run private clinics if they accept to work for 8 hours in government hospitals.
The PS explained that the government has few doctors who are expected to over better services if they are to stay at their stations for 8 hours which is recommended.
He appealed to members of the public to report doctors and nurses seen at private clinics when they are expected to offer services at government hospitals .
He announced that free mosquito nets are to be distributed in all health centres in the fight against malaria and appealed to mothers to take children for immunisation.
Mr Khaemba who was accompanied ny the assistant minister for foreign affairs and area Mp Mr moses Wetangula , said that the nets are to benefit mothers who take children for immunisation only.
He also said that Hiv/Aids patients will soon start paying shs.100 to get Anti-Retrovirals because they spend a fortune to buy the drugs.
The government he stressed, was working hard to subsidise the cost of ARVS to benefit most of the victims who are poor and feel to have been neglected.
On staffing, he observed that a massive transfer is soon coming to move doctors and nurses to understaffed area of Western &Nyanza provinces.
The staffing imbalances the PS said is the cause of poor service delivery in the two provinces and this is being taken as a priority in the reforms .