Opposition leader Raila Odinga calls for National and County governments dialogue to end medics strike threat standoff
Opposition leader and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party boss Raila Odinga has called for immediate dialogue between the two levels of government to end strike threat standoff by medical practitioners as the country stares to a second round of health sector paralysis countrywide.
Odinga who since the March 2018 handshake with President Uhuru Kenyatta seemingly scaled down his level of oversight role against the government said all return to work formulas should henceforth be honoured.
“I therefore wish to make an urgent appeal to the two levels of government- the counties and the national government to immediately talk to each other and urgently bring to an end this ill-advised and ill-timed standoff and possible strike.” Raila said.
However, he urged clinical workers to consider the country needs all medical practitioners more as primary caregivers at a time the schools have reopened and when the world carefully assesses the global pattern of COVID-19 virus spread.
“It is also important that return to work formulas, once agreed upon by employers and employees are respected and implemented, otherwise the government loses capacity and authority to negotiate in the future.” Raila said in a veiled indictment to Kagwe.
Barely a fortnight ago, the country was treated to a sigh of relief after medical workers sealed a return to work formula with the Ministry of Health announced by Health CS Mutahi Kagwe.
During the negotiations, a deal that the Council of Governors (CoG) has since renegade on, other representatives present were officials from the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentist Union, CoG, Ministryof Labour and Salaries and Renumeration Commission (SRC).
“It is therefore shocking that hardly a week later, clinical officers are threatening to down their tools again because the very same issues covered in the return to work formula signed last week are not being implemented.” He added.
Yesterday, governors disowned a return-to-work formula the government signed with doctors and clinical officers.
The 47 county bosses said the perks agreed on in the return-to-work formula are unaffordable and that they were never consulted before the figures were arrived at.
But the health workers reacted sharply to the governors’ move, vowing to head back to the streets in what is likely to cripple health services across the country, again.
The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (Kuco) Chairman Peterson Wachira gave the governors 48 hours to sign the formula arrived at with a multi-agency team led by Labour Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui, failure to which their earlier strike will resume.
