Health

Medical graduates stage protest in demand for internships

By Hanifa Adan | Monday, February 12, 2024

The graduates say some of them have waited up to seven months, a circumstance which disrupts their career progression and affects the delivery of healthcare services.

Medical graduates on Monday protested outside Afya House in Nairobi, the headquarters of the Health Ministry, against prolonged delays in their postings as medical and dental interns, and pharmacists.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has raised concerns about the delayed deployment of 1,314 interns who have graduated and been cleared by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB).

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At the protest, Muinde Nthusi, chairman of the Association of Medical Students of the University of Nairobi, said graduates who have completed their rigorous medical training but are yet to be placed in crucial internship positions face significant challenges finding work.

Nthusi, himself a recent graduate, noted that some have waited up to seven months, a circumstance which he noted ultimately disrupts their career progression and affects the delivery of healthcare services.

"Interns play a crucial role in providing frontline care to patients. They need to gain essential practical experience so they can support overstretched healthcare systems," he said.

He urged the ministry to hasten the placement.

Graduate medical students during their protest outside Afya House in Nairobi on February 12, 2024. (Photo: Hanifa Adan)

KMPDU's ultimatum

The KMPDU, in a strongly worded letter addressed to the Ministry of Health on January 12, expressed disappointment and highlighted the violation of the MOH/KMPDU Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) Article IV (c).

According to the CBA, the KMPDC and PPB should clear all medical officers, pharmacists, and dentists for posting to internship centres within 30 days.

"The timely posting of interns is not only a contractual obligation of the ministry but also a crucial [aspect] of the effective function of our healthcare system. The delayed deployment of these healthcare professionals hampers their licencing as doctors as well as the delivery of essential medical services to the public," KMPDU said in the letter.

The letter warned of the union's intention to take appropriate measures if the ministry fails to address the issue promptly, in line with its commitment to protect the rights of its members and the public.

The KMPDU also highlighted the impact of the delays on the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda and a January 4, 2023 agreement by the Ministry of Health, Council of Governors (COG), and KMPDU on the timely posting of medical interns.

"We believe that prompt action on your part will not only fulfil the terms of the existing CBA but also contribute to the fulfilment of the Kenya Kwanza UHC agenda as well as the MOH/COG/KMPDU agreement," the letter stated.

The KMPDU, however, expressed commitment to a constructive engagement with the ministry.

By press time, ministry officials were holding a closed-door meeting with student representatives at their Afya Centre offices.