The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Atellah now says that interns offer 40 per cent of medical services in a Kenyan hospital.
Speaking outside Parliament on Friday, the Sec Gen called on the Ministry of Health to post medical interns with immediate effect.
Atellah further asked that the interns be paid the basic salary as stipulated in 2017's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
He expressed concern over what he terms as 'misguidance in government' where he claims that MoH changed the policies outlined in the CBA.
"An intern is a doctor who offers services to the hospital. Interns have been paid as such for the last 63 years. But this year, the government is changing interns into students. An intern is not a student, an intern is a doctor who has graduated and is already offering services, " Atellah said.
He further called on both the counties and national governments to hire doctors, promote those who are in employment and post interns.
Atellah said that medics are willing to keep striking for as long as it takes for the government to address their demands.
"We striked for 100 days to get the CBA. We are willing to go for 200 days until it is implemented," he said.
The doctors took to the streets on Friday calling for the ministry to honour the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was made in 2017.
Among their grievances are; the delayed posting of interns, fair remuneration of interns, post-graduate training, employment of more doctors and comprehensive health coverage for medics.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja had on Wednesday issued an ultimatum to the striking doctors in Nairobi, giving them 12 hours to return to work.
The governor said that the absence of any doctor at their workstation upon the expiry of the ultimatum would be considered to be absconding their duty.
Despite the ultimatum, doctors in Nairobi took to the streets on Friday, chanting 'Nakhumicha must go!' and 'Solidarity Forever' as they traversed through the city.
The striking doctors made their way from Kenyatta National Hospital to Afya House to Parliament to the National Treasury and finally ended their procession at the CoG offices in Westlands.