Parliament has called on the Government to promptly lift the ban on staff recruitment in regional referral hospitals to prevent returned funds to the Consolidated Fund and address critical shortages in the health workforce. Lawmakers emphasized the urgent need for human resources for health, particularly specialist cadres like senior consultants, consultants, medical officers, and anaesthetists in regional hospitals.
The House highlighted that despite existing vacancies being advertised, recruitment has been hindered by limitations in the wage bill and the provision of essential incentives such as suitable staff accommodation and person-to-holder benefits. The recently approved staffing structure, which considers current population growth levels and salary enhancements, has further complicated the recruitment process.
Parliament’s recommendation was underscored in the report of the budget committee on the National Budget Framework Paper for the financial years 2024/25 to 2028/29. The House urged the Government to expedite the recruitment process and ensure that the newly recruited staff are promptly added to the payroll to prevent returned funds to the Consolidated Fund.
While commending the Government for allocating an additional sh25.5 billion to enhance the wage bill for regional referral hospitals in the financial year 2023/24, the committee expressed concern that these funds had not been utilized by the close of the first half of the fiscal year. Delays were attributed to the recruitment moratorium imposed following a payroll audit exercise conducted by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG).
The audit revealed discrepancies in the public wage bill, with the government paying over sh53 billion annually to ghost employees. Furthermore, it identified over 10,000 employees recommended for removal from the payroll due to confirmed deaths, absences, or retirements.
