Medical interns call off Friday's protest at Afya House

Doctor interns have suspended planned demonstrations scheduled for Friday at Afya House.

In a statement on Thursday, the medical interns said that the move to suspend their protests was out of goodwill.

"In a gesture of goodwill, we have decided to suspend the planned assembly and demonstration at the Afya House premises scheduled for tomorrow Friday, July 12, 2024," the statement reads.

The agitated interns have been protesting and camping outside Afya House since Monday expressing frustrations over years of waiting for their official posting after completing their studies.

The internship is mandatory for them to be able to be licenced to operate as doctors.

However, the medical interns said that the government's failure to address their issues over the weekend will result in the resumption of the protest on Monday.

"In the event that this national internship crisis is not solved over the weekend, all the 1,210 doctor interns will resume a day sit-in and night vigil as from Monday, July 15, 2024," they said.

In the meantime, the medical interns said they will convene internally to deliberate on the next steps.

"We remain committed to a fair and effective resolution of the current challenges," reads the statement.

At the same time, the medical interns commended President William Ruto's move to sack his Cabinet except for the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi.

According to them, the move reflects his dedication to listening to Kenyans and his commitment to improving governance in our country.

"We particularly welcome the dismissal of the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Susan Wafula Nakhumicha. Her tenure has been marred by delays in the internship placements of qualified doctors (medical officers, pharmacists, and dentists), which has significantly impeded our career progression," reads the statement further.

The medical interns claimed that the former CS's advice to the Executive Office of the President did not accurately reflect the dire situation they have faced for over 12 months and counting.

"This was most recently evidenced by her statement yesterday July 10, 2024, which failed to address the true extent of our plight," they said.

"We are hopeful that the President will appoint a replacement who will prioritise resolving the ongoing issues surrounding medical internship. "

The intern doctors expressed hope that the Principal Secretaries at the Ministry of Health will address their concerns promptly.