President William Ruto has addressed the ongoing dispute with intern doctors and the issue of salary arrears in the face of potential strike action threatened by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Union (KMPDU).
During an online engagement via X Space with young people on Friday, President Ruto outlined the government’s healthcare reforms aimed at strengthening Kenya’s medical system.
He emphasized the government’s commitment to resolving the doctors’ concerns, stating:
“I met with their leadership personally and committed to clearing their arrears by year-end.”
The President also noted that the treasury had prioritized healthcare funding to address these issues.
Ruto highlighted improvements to the Linda Mama program, part of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) initiative. He mentioned:
“Under UHC, we’ve boosted coverage to Ksh 11,200 and raised support for cesarean deliveries to Ksh 32,200.”
KMPDU Announces A Strike
Meanwhile, KMPDU has announced plans to protest at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Nairobi starting Monday, July 8, 2024.
The union is demanding the immediate posting of all medical interns to health facilities across the country, citing a 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement and recent promises. Their notice stated:
“Based on the RTWF dated May 8th, intern doctors were to collect their posting letter by July 7th, 2024. This was promised to us by Health CS Susan Nakhumicha in the presence of the president in the State House. We have therefore decided to occupy the MoH day and night starting on July 8th.”
This situation follows a strike in March 2024, which was called off after negotiations between the government and the doctors’ union resulted in agreements on salary arrears and intern postings. At that time, CS Nakhumicha urged doctors to resume their duties, saying:
“I want to urge all of us for now to focus on service delivery. The country has waited anxiously for 54 days to see you back to work and they have a right to demand and expect to be served without further delay.”
The ongoing negotiations between the government and medical professionals aim to address pay issues and improve working conditions in the healthcare sector.