Barely hours after Health CS Aden Duale labelled some health facilities as cartels, the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) have expressed displeasure over the remarks.
Speaking to the media, the union's Deputy Secretary General Dennis Miskellah noted that most of the private health facilities targetted by the CS were serving a majority of Kenyans.
He indicated that the hospitals had also offered many job opportunities to medics, therefore, any foreseen closure would lead to job losses.
"The private sector, those small facilities that they keep on calling cartels, those facilities cater for 56 per cent of Kenyans," the officials responded.
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Duale had stated that most private facilities would be closed after the Social Health Authority (SHA) gains momentum in the country.
"I'm telling you; mark my words today, the day the Social Health Authority (SHA) takes root, 60 percent of the many clinics you see in the estates will close.
"Most hospitals that you thought were doing good work were open because of the fraud that was taking place in NHIF," the CS remarked.
On the other hand, the official expressed reservations over the appointment of Duale to the health docket.
Miskellah noted that the CS was a politician and did not have the credentials to run the docket. He opined that past administrations had been appointing politicians to the docket - a move that had failed to bear fruit.
"We believe that Duale is a politician, but the Ministry of Health does not need a politician. We have tried politicians, and they have failed miserably," Miskellah added.
"We had a lot of faith when we saw a medic for the first time ever being appointed at the Ministry. People say that she was incompetent, but I can say that she was a very competent woman."
In the latest Cabinet reshuffle, Dr Deborah Barasa was moved to the Environment docket.
