A meeting between the doctors’ union and the Government on Tuesday failed to bear fruit with the doctors surprisingly announcing they are ready to resign.
There was an array of hope that the health workers strike, which is now in the second week, would be halted when Labour CS Philis Kandie tweeted: “Meeting with representatives of doctors to forge way forward”.
However, after the meeting Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Ouma Oluga confirmed they had met the CS but no agreement had been reached.
“Yes we have met the Labour CS Kandie but no deal yet,” Dr Oluga said.
This led to some doctors saying they were ready to resign unless their demands, which also include promotions and the hiring of more health personnel to address a shortage, are met.
According to Dr Oluga, no amount of intimidation would make them return to work without their demands being fulfilled.
Kenya currently has about 4,000 public sector doctors serving a population of about 40 million, meaning one serves up to 10,000 people. This goes against the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of one doctor per 2,800 people.
In the event that some of the doctors make good their threat to quit, the situation could get dire considering Kenya has been losing doctors to other countries offering better working terms.
