Fire Nakhumicha, women MPs tell Ruto

Embattled Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha is yet again on the receiving end, this time from women MPs who told President William Ruto to sack her over the ongoing doctors’ strike and the failure by her ministry to renew the Linda Mama insurance for pregnant mothers.

Addressing a news conference yesterday, the more than 10 women MPs across the political divide claimed Nakhumicha had left pregnant women on their own as hospitals are not admitting them to deliver because the card is no longer operational.

Led by MPs Millie Odhiambo (Suba North), Gathoni wa Muchomba (Githunguri), Zam Zam Mohammed (Mombasa Woman Rep) and Gertrude Mbeyu (Kilifi Woman Rep), the MPs argued that compounded by the current doctors’ strike, expectant mothers who are due either in late April, May and June are staring at a crisis as they have nowhere to go.

They regretted that the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is also not operational in most hospitals as they are waiting for the new scheme to take effect in July.

The move follows the decision of the ministry not to renew the card as the new Social Health Insurance Fund had collapsed all health insurance schemes.

Said Mbeyu: “What is wrong with you Nakhumicha, why are you bullying everyone. From doctors now we are on pregnant mothers, this is serious. If the President cares about women, he should relieve her of her duties. Nakhumicha must go.”

Shed light

The sentiments by the MPs come hours before Nakhumicha addresses the national assembly this afternoon to shed light on the ongoing doctors strikes.

Speaker Moses Wetang’ula yesterday told MPs they will be given adequate time to raise all the questions they have on her. “Tomorrow we will be having the CS here, I will be giving you an extra one hour to raise all the questions that you have on her.”

Nakhumicha is scheduled to respond to a question from Westlands MP Timothy Wanyonyi who sought to know why there are delays in posting of intern doctors.

Reads the order paper for Wednesday afternoon: “Delay in posting of medical interns and implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2017 between the Government and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists & Dentists Union.”

And while addressing the news conference yesterday, the MPs told Nakhumicha to stop putting them in a situation where they are unable to defend her.

They told her to prepare to table statistics of how many pregnant mothers or their babies have died during delivery when she appears before plenary this afternoon.

They argued that being a mother, she should have come up with a stop gap measure that should have been adopted as they wait to operationalise the new scheme.

Odhiambo gave Nakhumicha five days to sort out the current issue with the cards in order to ensure that pregnant women get the required medical care.

Sort issue

She said: “If me who is not a mother can feel the pain of a mother why not you Nakhumicha. As women we want to protect you but we cannot do that because you have put us in a very bad situation. Please sort out this issue within the next five days.”

Wa Muchomba said that the situation on the ground is serious as pregnant mothers who are vulnerable have nowhere to go as hospitals are not admitting them.

She said: “It is ignorant for us to assume that women who are scheduled to deliver in April, May and June have to wait until July when the new health Insurance scheme comes into effect.