Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha agreed to some of the demands by doctors in a bid to avert a looming strike.
In a statement dated Friday, December 30, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Bhimji Atella announced that Nakhumicha agreed to boost the doctor's workforce.
"The CS undertook to ensure that the Ministry will post medical interns by the second week of January 2023 and payment of postgraduate fees to be facilitated in due course," Atella wrote.
The posting of interns was among the issues listed in the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which were yet to be implemented.
KMPDU secretariat met the CS and officials of the Ministry at Afya House, where they deliberated on several matters including negotiations on the 2021-2025 CBA.
On her part, Nakhumicha urged the union to embrace dialogue to resolve their concerns rather than resort to industrial action that would jeopardize service delivery.
Nonetheless, she promised a speedy resolution of the matters raised including a review of doctors' basic salaries, salary delays, and non -remittance of statutory deductions and insurance premiums.
Others are comprehensive medical insurance for all doctors, hiring of all unemployed medics, provision of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical supplies, and creation of a centralized human resource management system.
Doctors also demanded phone call allowances for practitioners in universities, car loans, and mortgage and employment on permanent and pensionable terms.
Atella revealed that the union would hold engagement meetings with the Ministry of Labour and the Council of Governors on January 3 and 4 respectively.
However, if some of their concerns are not addressed, then the industrial action set to kick off on January 6, 2023, will proceed as planned.
"We remain hopeful and committed to the ongoing engagements to ensure implementation of the CBA 2017/2021 in totality and negotiation of CBA 2021/2025 as we remain alert and alive to our intended industrial action," the statement read in part.
