By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
The Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has asked doctors to suspend their ongoing industrial action.
Koskei in a statement on Tuesday said the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentist Union (KMPDU) should comply with the court order that declared their ongoing strike illegal.
Doctors have been on strike for over a week now, demanding for among others deployment of medical interns and full Implementation of the 2017 CBA.
The strike has been on despite an existing order that has directed the doctors to return to work.
But even as he asked KMPDU to call off their strike, the Head of Public Service also listed a number of efforts the government has made to address some of the issues that have been raised.
According to Koskei, the government has already facilitated the payment of basic salary arrears accrued by from the 2017-2021 CBA.
In addition, he said the government had also secured Ksh2.4 billion from the Treasury to facilitate immediate deployment and posting of medical interns.
However, the interns will be deployed based on the guidelines issued by the Salaries and Renumeration Commission (SRC).
“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, 4th April, 2024,” noted the Head of Public Service in part of the statement.
KMPDU has been demanding that interns be posted based on the 2017 CBA which is in contention over huge financial benefits outlined for them.
Koskei also said the government has provided grants and scholarships for eligible postgraduate medical officers.
The three are some of the key issues listed by the striking doctors in their demand letter.
Aside from steps the government, through the Nation Approach Committee has taken to address doctors’ issues, Koskei said counties were also addressing respective issues specific to them that have been raised.
The ongoing doctors’ strike has led to disruption of several services, with the situation worsening by clinical officers strike that begun on Monday.
The clinical officers also want full implementation of the CBA they signed with the government.