Health

Ruto meets KMPDU officials days after strike called off

President William Ruto (C) during a meeting with officials of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU), led by Secretary-General Davji Atellah, at the State House in Nairobi on May 11, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

By Hanifa Adan | Saturday, May 11, 2024

The talks centred on human resource standards and challenges in the way of the universal health coverage (UHC) mission.

President William Ruto led government officials in a meeting with doctors' union officials on Saturday, focused on human resources and universal health coverage, days after they called off a strike that had lasted 56 days.

Ruto was accompanied by officials including Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha, to the meeting at the State House in Nairobi, while the medical workers were represented by a team led by Davji Atellah, secretary-general of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU).

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President William Ruto with KMPDU Secretary-General Davji Atellah during at the State House in Nairobi on May 11, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

The president said his government was keen on addressing the persistent human resource inadequacies that slow the realisation of the universal health coverage (UHC) goal.

"By continually engaging with stakeholders, including labour unions, we aim to promote industrial harmony and sustainable solutions to our challenges," Ruto wrote on X.

The Kenya Universal Health Coverage Policy 2020–2030 gives direction on "ensuring significant improvement in the overall status of health in Kenya", guided by the Big Four Agenda, the

Constitution, Kenya Health Policy 2014–2030, Kenya Vision 2030, and regional and global commitments.

"It demonstrates the health sector's commitment under the government's stewardship to ensuring the country implements health plans in a manner responsive to the needs of the population," the policy document says.

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei during a meeting with President William Ruto and doctors' union officials at the State House in Nairobi on May 11, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

Nakhumicha also gave an update via the X platform, saying the discussion centred on human resources for health (HRH) as a key pillar for the UHC's implementation.

She said her ministry was "reviewing HRH norms and standards that define the minimum requirements for healthcare providers and infrastructure at various levels of the health system."

The meeting also discussed the promotion of industrial harmony and sustainable solutions to persistent human resource challenges, which hamper the delivery of quality and affordable healthcare.

The meeting came three days after the KMPDU called off a strike that began in mid-March following the signing of a return-to-work formula with the government.

The union has been pursuing reforms in the health sector, including higher pay, improved working conditions, and internship postings, as well as adequate pay, for a group it says is the most vulnerable in the sector.

All these demands are part of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) reached after a record 100-day period of industrial action in 2017.

They include settling seven years' worth of basic salary arrears, expediting promotions, and recruiting more doctors to combat chronic understaffing.

Others are providing comprehensive medical cover, resolving salary delays, converting discriminatory contracts to permanent and pensionable terms, reinstating illegally dismissed doctors, facilitating specialised training, and fostering continuous progressive labour relations.