Head of Public Service Felix Koskei on Wednesday, April 3, announced that the government was facing a financial crisis and as such could not honour the salary demands by medical interns.
Koskei who was speaking during the official opening of the inaugural Women in Procurement and Supply Chain Management Conference in Naivasha, reiterated that the government can only afford to pay Ksh70,000.
The Ksh70,000 sum has been proposed by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) while the interns are demanding Ksh206,000.
Koskei noted that considering tough economic times that have necessitated austerity measures, the government could not afford to pay the demanded salary.
While medical interns have been receiving such an amount in the past, Koskei noted that it had been untenable due to the increasing number of medical students graduating each year.
Should the medical interns accept the revised sum of Ksh70,000, Koskei noted that they would be posted to different hospitals with immediate effect.
On Tuesday, Koskei revealed that the government had set aside Ksh2.4 billion which would be used for posting medical students who graduated in the 2023/2024 academic year.
Koskei revealed that should the government cede to the striking doctor’s demands, this amount would rise exorbitantly to Ksh12 billion a sum the government could not afford.
“We should focus on the internship of these medical students who will in future earn whatever they want once they are through with their learning,” he was quoted as saying.
The health sector has been thrown into crisis due to a three-week-long medics' strike.
Apart from posting medical interns, the doctors want the government to tackle the issue of promotions and scholarships for postgraduate students.
The doctors further want the government to clear salary arrears emanating from the 2017-21 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
