The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) on Friday, January 27, issued a warning of impending nationwide demonstrations should the government decline its demand to have over 4,000 doctors employed.
In a statement from the umbrella body, the doctors decried a trend where graduates are subjected to internship programs, only to be left languishing in unemployment.
They vowed to hold demonstrations similar to those staged by South African doctors in protest of the growing rate of unemployment among trained medics.
Doctors now want their fellow medics to be employed immediately after finishing internship programs.
“KMPDU is warning the government against training and dumping doctors. After they are done with their internships, interns should immediately be employed by the government, and not let go, as has been the case.”
"If this continues, they will also take to the streets again, which is what was happening in South Africa," KMPDU added.
The doctors' union noted that the shortage of doctors in Kenyan hospitals exposed the country to the risk of perpetuating health inequalities caused by inadequate health services.
In addition, the medics' union called for prompt revamping of health facilities to equip them with technology to combat contemporary health threats.
KMPDU stressed the need to adopt a comprehensive approach to healthcare in a bid to ensure that all citizens have access to quality care.
They listed poverty and lack of access to basic needs as some of the underlying factors hindering the efficient delivery of healthcare services in Kenya.
"We must also focus on addressing the social determinants of health, such as poverty and lack of access to basic needs, which are major drivers of poor health outcomes," KMDU stated.
Earlier in January, the government intervened to avert a strike by doctors who had threatened down tools over a dispute surrounding the implementation of a collective bargaining agreement.
