Inside Govt Deal That Averted Doctors' Strike

KMPDU officials led by Secretary General Davji Atellah addressing the media on January 6, 2023.
KMPDU officials led by Secretary General Davji Atellah addressing the media on January 6, 2023.
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KMPDU

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General, Davji Atellah detailed five key promises the Ministry of Health and Governors agreed upon averting a planned strike scheduled for Friday, January 6.

Speaking during an interview on Spice FM on Friday, January 6, Atellah disclosed that the government pledged to review the basic salaries as per the 2017-2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

He added that the review would be concluded within a period of 60 days.

Further, the Secretary-General indicated that the government had pledged to post interns to different hospitals across the country.

A section of Council of Governors (COG) and KMPDU officials engaged in talks on January 4, 2022.
A section of Council of Governors (COG) and KMPDU officials engaged in talks on January 4, 2022.
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Ministry of Health

"The government undertook to post the first batch of 200 interns across the country next week and another batch of 200 by March," he stated.

On the issue of delayed salaries, he stated that the government also committed to having all salaries for their members paid by the fifth of every month.

Other areas agreed upon were; the payment of postgraduate studies and medical insurance for the union's members.

"With devolution, the human resource went to the counties. However, the funds remained at the Ministry of Health. Since 2017, their fees have not been paid.

'It was committed that all the fees will be paid to enable the doctors to graduate and return to the counties," he stated.

The union official credited the agreement to a series of meetings held with officials of the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors (CoG) by the health chair and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.

However, he maintained that strikes would only be averted if there was goodwill from the national and county governments in addressing their challenges.

Doctors were scheduled to go on strike on January 6, but KMPDU called off the strike on January 5.

Medical professionals engaging in demonstration.
Medical professionals demand higher pay and better working conditions in a past demonstration
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KMPDU