Nyoro proposes commission to streamline health workers

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has proposed the formation of a Kenya Doctors and Health Care Workers Commission to streamline the management of medical professionals and address challenges affecting the country’s health sector.

Speaking on Monday, during a live TV address to the nation, Nyoro said the proposed body would provide a national platform to manage doctors and other healthcare workers, including harmonising their employment and easing transfers across counties.

“Kenya must have the Kenya Doctors and Health Care Workers Commission that will be managing the affairs of our doctors and health-care workers,” Nyoro said.

He argued that the current system makes it difficult for medical professionals to move between counties, citing the example of a doctor working in Nyamira who gets married in Kwale and is forced to leave their job and seek fresh employment.

“If we have a national platform to manage our health-care workers, this will be a good opportunity, first of all to harmonise, and number two also, to ease their welfare in terms of transfers,” he said.

Nyoro said the proposed commission would also provide a united framework for addressing staffing needs in health facilities, arguing that Kenya needed to rethink how doctors and other health professionals were managed.

The Kiharu MP outlined proposals he said could help transform the health sector, including addressing persistent funding gaps that have left many families struggling with medical bills.

Nyoro said the country was collecting substantial amounts of money for health care through the current system, just as it did under the former National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), but the sector continued to face a funding shortfall.

He proposed that from 2028, the amount workers contribute towards the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) for pensions and retirement be reduced by half, with the remaining 50 per cent redirected to health care.

According to Nyoro, the move would inject an additional Sh40 billion into the health-care system, money he argued could be used to cater for emergencies and chronic illnesses that have pushed some families into financial distress.

“Many families have been ravaged by bills. As much as we are talking as leaders, we must provide practical solutions,” he said.

He further proposed upgrading health-care institutions to reduce the number of Kenyans travelling abroad, particularly to India, for specialised treatment.

Nyoro said the additional resources could help modernise health facilities and expand their capacity to provide specialised services locally while positioning Kenya as a regional health-care hub.

“We will transform these institutions so that they serve Kenyans in the region also,” he said.

The MP also raised concerns over the ownership and management of the information technology system used to administer health care, arguing that such a system should be controlled by the Kenyan government.

He maintained that reforms in the health sector should focus on practical solutions to improve access to services while protecting families from the financial burden associated with medical treatment.

Nyoro said a coordinated national framework for doctors and health-care workers would also help address staffing challenges and improve the welfare of medical professionals across the country.