Take Sh6.1bn or face court action, state tells doctors

By Moses Muli

Published: April 23, 2024 5:50 PM(EAT)

The government has tabled a fresh Sh6.1 billion offer to address doctors’ demands even as the striking medics insisted ‘no deal’ until the contentious issue – posting of interns – is cleared.

Speaking on Tuesday, Health CS Susan Nakhumicha said the Ministry will move to court if the doctors fail to call off the strike.

“The government through the Ministry, we have received a total of Sh6.1 billion to settle the issues raised by doctors,” she said.

“Follow-up to the doctor’s refusal to call off the strike, we have instructed our counsel to immediately move to court and file the status report as to what we had agreed to and initiated as a return-to-work formula.”

The doctors have now been on strike for 41 days since March 14, 2024, paralyzing service provision across all public health facilities.

They outlined 19 issues in their strike notice dated March 6, 2024, eighteen of which Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said on Monday had been resolved.

Both parties were to sign a return-to-work formula Monday afternoon, but Koskei said doctors’ representatives failed to show up having been held up in a briefing meeting with their council well into the night.

He, however, exuded confidence that the deal would be signed Tuesday, but the medics remained adamant that the intern issue must be resolved.

“Dear government, the doctors are saying that since you have publicly said that you conceded to 18 of our 19 demands (except internship), kindly take back the 18 and give us the one,” Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union SG Davji Atellah said.

Nakhumicha said they will be seeking a review of the court order that no action should be taken against the striking medics during negotiations.

“We will be asking our counsel to appeal to the court to review the orders that had been issued initially so that we are allowed to take the necessary action to ensure Kenyans continue to enjoy healthcare services,” Nakhumicha affirmed.

Her sentiments were echoed by the Council of Governors chairperson Anne Wiguru.

Waiguru called on the striking doctors to resume duty with immediate effect failing which counties will take necessary action against them.

“We have been sitting here long days and in various other forums and we have gone the whole mile. On the counties side, we have given in to everything and still, we are at this place for no good reason,” Waiguru said.

Of the 19 issues doctors raised, six relate to counties, nine to the national govenment while four relate to both levels of government.

The contentious issue on posting of interns is a preserve of the national government.

“For that, every county will take the necessary action as they deem fit and it will not be specific to a county but I’m sure you will be seeing the necessary action as we go forward,” the CoG boss said.

Governors, stakeholders and KMPDU representatives have been attending the ‘Whole of Nation Committee’ talks led by Koskei since March 21, with the latest series of four meetings happening this past weekend.

Over that period, both sides ceded hardline stances and it was highly expected the sides would ink a return-to-work formula latest Tuesday.

Nakhumicha and Waiguru spoke after a second round of meetings Tuesday between the doctors’ union and the government side to salvage the talks and reach a consensus.

The Sh6.1 billion is the second offer doctors have rejected after the initial Sh2.4 billion where intern doctors were to be posted and paid Sh70,000 monthly stipend.

KMPDU is pushing for Sh206,000 monthly pay for the 1,210 intern doctors – medical doctors, pharmacists and dentists.

They also want payment of fees for doctors on postgraduate training whilst still on full pay; extension of contracts for UHC staff; payment of arrears of basic salaries as per the 2017 CBA and provision of comprehensive medical insurance.