Kenya Government Gives Doctors Union Deadline to Resolve Strike
On Monday, top government officials including Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha granted the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) a deadline until Tuesday, April 23, to finalize their discussions and propose a resolution for the ongoing strike.
At the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Monday, Felix Koskei, the Head of Public Service, noted that the government and the doctors’ union had reached an agreement on almost all points except for the dispute regarding where intern doctors would be assigned.
Koskei stated that the discussions had reached 96% of the expected results.
“The latest meeting was yesterday where we had candid discussions and we largely agreed on almost all the issues except one. The issues concerning the counties were cleared 100 percent. The issues concerning the national government were cleared except one and that is the issue of payment of interns,” Koskei said while addressing journalists.
“We agreed with the union leadership to go back to report to their council and membership so that they can ratify for us to come back and sign the return to work agreement. They are still in the meeting, of which we have decided it is becoming night, we need to give them more time, to conclude discussions with their membership, so that tomorrow, once they are ready, we can convene here, sit down, and sign the return to work formula,” he added.
The doctors’ union conducted a day-long meeting to discuss the government’s offer following negotiations between both sides.
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Moses Kuria, the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, agreed with Koskei’s views, noting that the government had already met 17 of the 18 demands set by the doctors.
“In negotiations, people can not always get what they are looking for and as a government, we have bent over backward and made many concessions,” Moses Kuria stated.
Kuria mentioned that a portion of the agreement was intended to set the guidelines for future interactions between the doctors and the government.
The CS reassured the doctors that the government was determined to uphold the agreement, even though previous efforts to resolve the ongoing issues had been unsuccessful.
Government officials at the national and county levels emphasized that the challenging negotiations were designed to guarantee that doctors return to hospitals, addressing a severe disruption.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha announced that the Treasury had allocated funds to support the Linda Mama program.
The initiative was suspended in multiple public hospitals due to insufficient funding to support the free maternal health program.
Thanks to the allocation of Ksh4.3 billion from the Treasury, hospitals participating in the program received the necessary funding to maintain their operations.
Kenya Government Gives Doctors Union Deadline to Resolve Strike