Relief for medical interns as court endorses key agreements

It is a relief for medical interns after the court adopted two major agreements between the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) and the Ministry of Health.

KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah expressed optimism about the recent developments on his X handle, highlighting the productive discussions with the ministry aimed at resolving crucial issues affecting their members.

Among the adopted measures: Government-sponsored registrars are now allowed to take their exams. At the same time, the Ministry of Health manages the processing of fee payments, with details regarding university involvement expected by the end of the week. Additionally, the court has officially ratified the addendum to the internship agreement, signed between KMPDU and the ministry on July 17, 2024.

The long-standing issue of delayed intern postings, which has seen some interns wait up to two years to be posted, leading to numerous strikes, has now been addressed.

KMPDU and the Ministry of Health signed a Return-to-Work Formula on May 8, 2024. This agreement includes the posting of 1,210 medical interns, who began receiving their appointment letters.

Additionally, the Ministry annulled the internship offer letters issued on March 18, 2024. Following protests by medics outside the Ministry of Health headquarters, demanding the posting of interns as per the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

While KMPDU insists that intern doctors should receive a basic salary and allowance of Sh206,000 as per the 2017 CBA, the government indicated that they can only offer an all-inclusive gross pay of Sh70,000 according to the new Salary and Remuneration Commission (SRC) circular from March 2024, which led to a petition being filed at the court.

According to the Kenya Medical Dentists and Practitioners Council (KMPDC), Kenya has a total of 10,102 registered doctors, with 1,200 employed by the national government and 4,480 working in county hospitals.

The return-to-work formula was negotiated by Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni on behalf of the Ministry of Health, shortly after the Health Cabinet Secretary was among those dismissed by the President.