• Nakhumicha has invited KMPDU for a meeting to unlock the strike impasse which has left patients across the country stranded.
• The union officials have called on the doctors to keep off work as they head to Afya House for the meeting.
Image: HESBORN ETYANG
Doctors have maintained that they will not settle for anything less even as they head to the Ministry of Health for a Conciliatory meeting.
Health CS Susan Nakhumicha has invited the doctors’ union for a meeting to unlock the strike impasse which has left patients across the country stranded for the past four days.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union has said they will honour the invite by the ministry but issues such as posting of interns will not be negotiable.
The union officials have called on the doctors to keep off work as they head to Afya House for the meeting noting that is the only way to push the government to see the urgency of the issues they are raising.
“The bare minimum, like something that we cannot discuss any further, is the posting letters for our interns and the basic salary arrears for the doctors as per the CBA 2017; those are things that have to be implemented,” KMPDU SG Davji Atellah said.
They have maintained that the posting of interns is something that should commence immediately and want the ministry to ensure they are well compensated.
The ministry had in previous responses to the doctors said the posting and payment of interns would require Sh4.9 billion, funds they do not have.
“As a union, we are not going for the meeting at the ministry for any mediation, mediation ended in December last year,” KMPDU Deputy SG Dennis Miskellah said.
“We had one year mediation, by law mediation should take 90 days we gave them 12 days from mediation,” he added.
Nakhumicha in a letter to Atellah and copied to the PS Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni has invited the medics for a consultative forum.
The court on Friday extended orders suspending the doctors' strike to allow for negotiations and agreement on essential services that should continue in the event of a strike.
“The purpose of this letter is to note the ongoing conciliation proceedings and in the meantime invite you and other officials of KMPDU for a consultative meeting scheduled for Monday at the Ministry of Health headquarters boardroom from 8 am,” Nakhumicha said.
Furthermore, there are concerns regarding recurrent delays in salary payments and failure to remit statutory deductions and to address loan repayments promptly.
Another pressing matter is the lack of comprehensive medical insurance coverage for union members, both at county and national government levels.
Additionally, the union advocates for the conversion of temporary contracts for doctors in counties to permanent and pensionable terms.