President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to meet the striking doctors at State House, Mombasa, with a focus to end the industrial action that has paralysed medical services in the country.
Mr Kenyatta, who is on a working holiday in the Coast, is said to have intervened in the dire situation after deliberations between the medics and the Ministries of Health and Labour proved futile.
The 10 am meeting will be attended by high-profile individuals in the Government to bring a halt to the strike which has clocked one month.
According to Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Chairman Samuel Oroko the doctors are not seeking the immediate implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), but are willing to accept a phased-out implementation of the same.
“All we want is a framework that outlines the phases and period of implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Only that and we will be willing to go back to work,” Mr Oroko was quoted by the Standard.
KMPDU Secretary General Ouma Olunga stated that he was keen to see how the meeting will turn out adding that it would determine if the strike proceeds to the second month.
"We can’t say much at this time but we will wait and see how the talks will go on. When the meeting takes place, we will decide whether we will call it off or not,” Mr Olunga was quoted by Capital FM.
Dr Allan Makokha, an executive member of KMPDU, noted that: "We want a registered CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) and it should be implemented in phases. The government should also come up with a real framework and be ready to honour it to avoid many doctors strike."
In December last year, the court declared the ongoing doctor's strike illegal. 45 counties took drastic action and advertised 405 positions for medical officers, dentists as well as pharmacists in an attempt to replace those taking part in the mass action.
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 are still demanding among other things, 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.
