Kenyans seeking medical services at public hospitals nationwide may face disruptions due to an impending strike announced by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU).
KMPDU Secretary-General Davji Atela stated that the union would commence industrial action within the next two weeks, citing the government's failure to address their concerns regarding the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, including the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and the operations of the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Additionally, KMPDU, in collaboration with the Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS), has called for a complete overhaul of the SHA.
According to Atela, the current leadership of the authority could not be trusted to address the challenges that the country was facing in the health sector.
He further argued that public servants were being forced to contribute twice to the medical scheme, yet they were not receiving services commensurate with their deductions.
“We are giving the government two weeks to address these issues. If no action is taken, it will not be business as usual — we will call for nationwide protests to demand the change our members deserve.”
"The current leadership at SHA is weak, and for its success, the leadership must be changed," Atela maintained.
"Public servants are contributing twice to the medical scheme, yet they are not receiving services commensurate with the deductions. We cannot sit and watch our members continue fundraising for medical expenses while their contributions are being mismanaged."
On their part, the Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) demanded the immediate posting of all interns undertaking clinical medicine courses across the country.
Additionally, the union, under the leadership of its chairperson, Peterson Wachira, called for the absorption of all UHC staff working in Kenya.
Furthermore, the union demanded the full implementation of their 2024 return to work formula(RTWF) signed between them and the Ministry of Health.
The medics marched on Tuesday to Afya House in Nairobi where they presented their demands to the government.
