Hundreds of Kenyan doctors took to the streets on Friday, March 23, demanding better pay and improved working conditions amid an ongoing n...
Hundreds of Kenyan doctors took to the streets on Friday, March 23, demanding better pay and improved working conditions amid an ongoing nationwide strike now in its ninth day. Other key key grievances include inadequate medical cover, delayed intern postings, unfair pay for interns, and the need for more doctors.
The protesting doctors, carrying placards and chanting against the government, accused officials of failing to fulfill promises made in the 2017 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed in 2017, aimed at improving doctors’ basic pay and other allowances
The CBA was signed following a previous 100-day strike that claimed lives due to lack of care.
Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KPMDU) Secretary-General Dr. Davji Bhimji Atellah stated that the strike would persist until all demands were met.
Bhimji said, “We will continue to strike for 100 days or even 200 days. We will not stop until the government implements the CBA as it is,”
Medical Intern Woes
Doctors are accusing Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha and the Salary Remuneration Commission (SRC) of diminishing the significant role played by interns.
This is after the SRC proposed to reduce medical interns’ salaries by 91 percent- a move doctors strongly oppose.
Also, CS Nakhumicha’s objection to categorizing medical interns as government employees has worsened the conflict.
“What is remuneration? You have to have offered services and get paid for those services. Remuneration is given to an employee by an employer… These are interns. They are supposed to be under the supervision of specialists or experienced medical officers. So we cannot even speak about remuneration,”
She stated.
Despite her claims, interns are recognized as government employees under the Medical Council’s Act, where they work under supervision but perform duties similar to qualified doctors.
CS Nakhumicha Threatens to Fire Doctors
In response to the strike, CS Nakhumicha announced plans to recruit doctors to replace those participating.
She said, “If you are supposed to be on duty and you are not on duty, we have gotten somebody else to do the job.”
The Ministry of Health announced on Monday, March 19, that medical interns will be posted from next month.
Asked whether this meant firing the striking doctors and replacing them with the thousands of interns waiting to be posted, CS Nakhumicha said, “What do you expect? I hired someone to do the job and allowed them to.”
“We have to put a measure in place; the places have to be manned and somebody has to take care of the patients so I cannot say since the doctors are on strike we will sit,”
CS Nakhumicha further told KTN that doctors would face consequences for striking despite court orders postponing the strike. “They have been ordered by the court to suspend the strike; choices have consequences,”
Despite a court order to engage in talks, doctors escalated the strike by halting emergency services at public hospitals.
KPMDU Secretary General Davji Bhimji Atellah, however, opines that sacking striking doctors fails to address underlying labor issues.
A seven-hour closed meeting held on Thursday, March 21, between striking doctors and the government failed to yield a resolution, exacerbating the health crisis as the strike persists for the second week.
Government officials are disputing the strike’s existence, while union leaders affirmed its continuation.
Azimio Leaders Support the Doctors Strike
Meanwhile, opposition party leaders from Azimio are supporting the doctors’ strike. They criticized the government’s handling of the health crisis.
Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka faulted the government for delaying to post interns. He stated, “It is impossible to tell us that you do not have Sh4 billion to employ the doctors who are very much needed in our hospitals, for us to be sure of healthcare services.”
Similarly, Democratic Action Party of Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa supported better pay for medical interns due to their lengthy training. He also stressed the need for their prompt return to hospitals given the strained healthcare services.
“Our doctors take six years to graduate as doctors. By the time they are being considered for salaries, they are practicing. And they should not be discriminated against. Right now, healthcare services are unavailable. We need doctors back in hospitals.”
Eugine Wamalwa stated.
As the strike persists, patients continue to suffer, underscoring the urgent need for a swift resolution to the ongoing healthcare crisis.
By Vivian K.
The post DOCTORS STRIKE ENTERS DAY NINE appeared first on BNN.
