We'll immediately post at least 552 medical interns – Nakhumicha

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has said that with the allocated funds, the Ministry will be able to post at least 552 interns immediately.

In a statement, Nakhumicha said the rest would follow as more resources become available which would be indefinite.

"The court case notwithstanding, the parties agreed to continue pursuing a consensus position within 60 days that ended on July 7, as a means of unlocking the stalemate out of court," the CS said.

"So far numerous meetings have been held with good progress made towards achieving consensus. Of note is that both parties agree on the need for the interns to be posted without further delay. The latest of these meetings which ran through the weekend explored various options." 

Nakhumicha said the options included posting all doctor interns at the recommended SRC stipend rate of Sh70,000 per month, waiting for the court’s direction on September 26, 2024, using the funds allocated in the 2024/2025 financial year budget, post the interns as per the CBA rates in batches as discussions continue within government, to find additional resources.

She stated that following 56 days of industrial unrest, the government and the union signed a Return-to-Work Formula agreement on May 8, 2024.

"As of today, the total number of interns awaiting posting across the cadres is 3,760 for a total budget of Sh4.8 billion," the CS said.

"Due to budget ceiling, the Ministry received an allocation of Sh3.7 billion in the Financial Year 2024/2025 for internship." 

Nakhumicha said that the Ministry empathizes with the young doctors who have faced psychological and financial hardships due to delayed postings.

She reassured the public that ongoing discussions between KMPDU and the Ministry of Health will resolve the impasse and ensure the young doctors' careers are back on track.

The CS highlighted the Ministry's efforts to manage the increasing backlog of graduates awaiting internship placements.

She stated that it has been a situation that has led to recurrent industrial action over the past decade.

Nakhumicha acknowledged the essential role of internships in equipping healthcare professionals with the necessary skills and competencies.

"This “rite-of-passage”, which all our doctors, clinical officers and bachelor of science nurses must go through, before registration by their respective regulatory bodies," she said.

She said that despite consistent government funding for the internship program, the exponential increase in the number of training institutions and foreign-trained graduates has overwhelmed available financial resources.

"This has resulted in a significant backlog of graduates awaiting internship postings, which has been a major issue in recent industrial actions," Nakhumicha said.

She added that the Ministry is working tirelessly to resolve the situation and is encouraged by the President's recent commitment to prioritize the posting of medical interns despite anticipated budget cuts.

She said since January 2023, the Ministry has posted 4,156 interns across six cadres, including 1,735 doctors (1,214 medical officers, 496 pharmacists, and 25 dentists), 874 nurses, 506-degree clinical officers, and 1,930 diploma clinical officers.

"These interns are expected to complete their internships by June 2024 at a total cost of KES 4.2 billion,"  she added.

The CS advised all interns across the cadres to report to their internship centres as communicated earlier pending the resolution of the package.

She said the Ministry respects the constitutional right to demonstrate and acknowledges the interns camped at Afya House.

"However, it is regrettable that despite the open and candid discussions with the union officials and representatives of the interns, a few individuals are attempting to use the demonstrations and assembly as an opportunity to paint an image of inaction, neglect and incompetence against the Ministry of Health, hoping that this will propagate a feeling of hopelessness and incite chaos among the wider population," Nakhumicha said.

Nakhumicha said that the Ministry is optimistic that the recently gazetted presidential taskforce will provide recommendations to permanently address internship issues.

"Following the gazettement of the presidential taskforce to address long-standing issues on human resources for health, the Ministry is optimistic that the Taskforce will come up with recommendations on how to deal with the internship issue permanently," she said.