•This is even as the doctors suspended their weekly protests which they have been holding every Tuesday
•The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union SG Davji Atellah said they will instead have a doctors assembly on Thursday
Image: FILE
A meeting scheduled between the doctors union and the government on Tuesday will determine whether the ongoing strike will be called off or not.
This is even as the doctors suspended their weekly protests which they have been holding every Tuesday.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union SG Davji Atellah said they will instead have a doctors' assembly on Thursday.
"Tomorrow we had a demo but we have postponed. We will be having a doctors' assembly on Thursday. Tomorrow we want to engage with the government and tell them these are the issues that need to be resolved," Atellah said.
"We just expect them to soften their stand on this issue of internship and employment of doctors because, at the end of the day, these are the things that uphold the sanctity of the CBA," he added.
The government on Monday expressed optimism that the strike which has left Kenyans in pain will be called off after the meeting.
Head of Public Service Felix Koskei who is steering the 'Whole of Nation Approach Committee' said negotiations they have been having have already achieved 96 per cent of the desired outcome.
Koskei said the government side had agreed to postpone the signing of the draft return-to-work formula to Tuesday after the wait for doctors' union officials to arrive went into the night.
“Since it’s becoming night, we need to give them some more time for them to conclude the discussion with their membership so that tomorrow, once they are ready, we convene here and sign the return-to-work formula,” Koskei said.
The doctors have now been on strike for 40 days since March 14, 2024, paralysing service provision across all public health facilities.
Atellah said the union was yet to agree on some of the issues they had raised.
The doctors' National Advisory Council meeting was held on Monday to discuss the offer the government had extended to the union.
"After they gave us the offer yesterday (Sunday) we were trying to underline because some of their offers were just statements and we wanted to have specific issues resolved that’s why the whole day we spent discussing that," Atellah said.
He however acknowledged the commitment by the government to have the issues resolved amicably once and for all.