Pain and agony as suffering patients bear the brunt of doctors’ strike as medics, government dig in for the third week now
There is no respite for suffering patients as doctors’ boycott work for the third week now in a row amid talks stalemate with the government exposing terminally and critically ill patients to worst fate, death, or possible irreversible health conditions
Yesterday evening, in a statement by State House Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service Felix Koskei, the government extended an olive branch to the health workers, saying it would post all the eligible medical student interns, inviting those eligible to pick letters from tomorrow.
The government called an end to the ongoing countrywide strike by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU), committing to address the smattering of issues raised by the striking healthcare workers.
The situation has degenerated after Clinical officers across the country have begun their strike, downing their tools at midnight following the expiration of their one-week notice and the Ministry of Health’s failure to address their issues.
The strike has caused a standstill in services at Level 2 to 5 hospitals nationwide, exacerbating the already dire situation caused by the ongoing doctor’s strike.
The sorry state is set to be aggravated further after the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUMLO) issued a seven-days strike notice saying both the national and county governments have failed to establish a Recognition Agreement to ensure the inclusion of all Universal Health Coverage (UHC) personnel.
Regarding the demands by the medics to have the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) implemented, Koskei said accrued basic salary arrears would be paid in full and Sh2.4billion had already been disbursed to cater for the interns’ deployment and posting.
“In that regard, all eligible medical student interns are urged to collect their posting letters from the Ministry of Health’s offices with effect from Thursday, April 4, 2024.” Koskei said.
“Secured the requisite budgetary support in the amount of Sh2.4billion to facilitate the immediate deployment and posting of the 2023/24 cohort of medical student interns per the guidelines issued by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).” He added.
Further, Koskei noted that eligible medical workers would also receive grants and scholarships for their postgraduate education, as demanded by KMPDU.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to have a ‘constructive’ dialogue with health workers to end the current crisis in the sector both at the county and national level.
“The government at both tiers, state agencies, and institutional stakeholders support the efforts to resolve the current dispute and bring about a permanent end to the cycle of industrial action in the Health Sector remain committed to fostering constructive dialogue, addressing concerns, and ensuring the health and well-being of all Kenyans.” He stated.
The lab workers’ union’s demands to the government include confirming UHC workers, COVID-19 Health Emergency Response Program (CHERP) participants, UHC interns, National TB and Lung Diseases Program (NTLD-P) Global Fund Employees contracts to be employed on permanent and pensionable terms.
They are also seeking recognition of Medical Laboratory Professionals within the healthcare system and provision of comprehensive health insurance.
“We submitted a Recognition Agreement request in 2021, today is 2024. We did a follow up letter last year July to the ministry and to date it’s unfortunate they have never responded back. On December 5, 2023, we requested them to sign the agreement, so that we can be at par with other colleagues who the government is currently is engaging in signing Collective Bargaining Agreement.” KNUMLO National Secretary General Pius Nyakundi said.
