Intern doctors urged to return to work with Sh70,000 salary amid strike threats
By Lucy Mumbi |
The appeal comes a day after KMPDU accused the government of neglecting its obligations, leading to financial distress and, in some cases, suicides among medical professionals.
The government has urged the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) to allow intern doctors to resume work by accepting an offer of Sh70,000 as an interim salary.
Medical Services Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai made the appeal during his appearance before the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday, where he was pressed to explain the ministry's failure to fully implement a return-to-work agreement signed in May, which ended a 56-day strike.
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The appeal comes a day after KMPDU accused the government of neglecting its obligations, leading to financial distress and, in some cases, suicides among medical professionals.
Addressing the committee, Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo questioned why the ministry had not disbursed the Sh70,000 regardless of ongoing negotiations.
“What is stopping you, irrespective of the negotiations, from wiring that Sh70,000 to the interns anyway?” Amollo posed.
In response, PS Kimtai explained that the agreed amount in the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was Sh206,000. He stated that once an agreement is reached, payments would be backdated, but the union had rejected the interim payment offer.
“The figure in the CBA is Sh206,000, and once we agree, we shall backdate payments, but the unions have said no, do not pay the interns," Kimtai said.
He added that the government had committed Sh3.4 billion to settle the arrears in two tranches, contingent on the resolution of the impasse.
“We have called upon the union to let us pay the Sh70,000 to alleviate the suffering of the interns. Some cadres, like clinical officers and nurses, have no contention—it is only the pharmacists and doctors who have not accepted,” Kimtai said.
The return-to-work deal signed in May included provisions for the posting of 1,210 medical interns. However, months later, these interns remain unpaid as negotiations over their dues continue.
KMPDU ordered intern doctors to down tools on Wednesday following the death of Dr Francis Njuki, who reportedly took his life due to frustrations related to unpaid wages.
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah claimed that many interns are struggling financially, with some unable to continue their duties or resorting to desperate measures.
“These are young people who are dedicated to serving Kenyans, but due to the government’s failure to honour its obligations, they are frustrated. The government has erratically changed a system that has worked for the last seven years without goodwill,” Atellah said.
He also announced plans for a nationwide strike involving all doctors before the end of the year, citing the government's failure to honour the May agreement.
“We are going to give notice for a nationwide strike. A Special Delegates Conference will determine whether it will last seven, 14, or at most 21 days,” he said.
The standoff has heightened tensions in the healthcare sector, leaving intern doctors in financial distress and threatening a broader medical crisis should the planned strike proceed.
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