Health crisis set to worsen as gov’t withdraws offer given to doctors

The health crisis is the country is set to worsen after the government withdrew its 50 percent pay hike and allowance offer to doctors, with President Uhuru Kenyatta terming their demands as blackmail.

The move by the government means that the doctors will go back to the drawing board and re-negotiate a fresh deal with the government.

Council of Governors chair, Peter Munya, announced the drastic move ordering doctors back to work.

President Uhuru Kenyatta had also warned the medics of dire consequences should mediation efforts flop.

Speaking in Naivasha, President Kenyatta told the doctors the pay offer they had received was the best.

But the clergy, led by Jackson Ole Sapit and Aden Wachu, had said the mediation efforts were bearing fruit, after the Appellate Court gave them until Monday to finalize the deal.

According to a report tabled in court by clergy mediators, government proposes to either backdate Risk Allowance to July 2016 or alternatively backdate Emergency Allowance to October last year.

The report presented before the three Appellate Judge bench indicates effecting the 50 percent pay rise and allowances to doctors will increase the doctors’ wage bill to 14. 5 billion shillings per year.

If approved, the risk allowances would cost the taxpayer a total of 600 million shillings and emergency allowance 570 million, even as government and doctors are yet to agree on mode of signing revised 2013 CBA, Recognition Agreement and Return to work formula.

Remuneration for doctors before any adjustments is 10.2 billion shillings annually, with National Government footing 3 billion while county governments foot 7.2 billion shillings.

When the President with doctors in Mombasa, he reportedly agreed to award doctors allowances ranging from 66,000 shillings per month for interns to 80,000 per month for the highest paid doctors.

President Kenyatta says the hikes would increase total medics remuneration to 13.9 billion per annum.