NMS to recruit Healthcare workers
Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) is set to recruit 2,000 healthcare workers in a bid to boost access to quality and affordable healthcare services.
Already, 1,691 such health staff have been recruited through the Public Service Commission (PSC) in readiness for opening of 24 new Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals currently under construction across informal settlements in the capital city.
Shortage of medical staff is a major issue in Nairobi with several attempts by the Nairobi County Public Service Board last year to bridge the gap by recruiting more nurses frustrated by a lack of quorum at the board.
Before the county’s health services were transferred to NMS, City Hall had only 2,750 workers in the health sector inclusive of cleaners and drivers.
This forced county government hospitals to hire personelle on short term contracts.
The recruits comprise 679 nurses while the rest are doctors and clinical officers and will be deployed to the new hospitals with bed capacity of 1,580.
“We intend to operationalise 33 mid-level hospitals that have been dormant as part of our expansion of the scope of specialised health services. The hospitals will operate 24 hours,” said NMS Health Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga.
Last year in October, NMS announced the hiring of more than 1,300 health care workers at a time when Nairobi was at the epicenter of the second wave of Covid-19 infections.
Four months earlier in June, NMS had recruited 225 health workers as part of 5,000 health workers President Uhuru Kenyatta’s announced would be recruited by the national government to help in the war against Covid-19.
The health workers, who included doctors, nurses and clinical officers, were hired on three-year contracts.