The crisis facing the health sector in Kenya on Thursday took a turn for the worse after the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacistsand Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) threatened to close down private and mission hospitals that have maintained normal operations during the strike that is now in its fourth day.
The Chairman of the Kenya Association of Private Hospitals, Dr Abdi Mohammed, stated that their hospitals may not close,but added that privately run clinics would close just for a day on Dec 13, 2016 as the union will be making a court appearance.
At the same time, 290 specialist doctors who have been offering their services at the Kenyatta National Hospital, and lecturers from the University of Nairobi Medical School joined the striking healthworkers.
Efforts by senior officials in the Ministry of Health to convince the health workers to go back to work have failed as the union officials insist on their demands which, among other things, call for a 130 per cent salary increment for the lowest cadre of medics from a maximum of Sh149,880 to Sh342,770.
If their demands are met, the highest job cadre - Group T - will move from a maximum of Sh538,980 to Sh946,00 which is a 75 percent pay rise.
The payment terms are part of a Collective Bargaining Agreement(CBA) that was signed between health workers and the government three years ago.
KMPDU Secretary-General Ouma Oluga told the press that its members were ready to resign since they were aware that thegovernment was plotting to replace them.
Union officials have also rubbished the arrest warrants issued on Wednesday by Labour Court Judge Hellen Wasilwa, saying that they had neither seen the orders nor the arrest warrants.
