Medical students take to the streets to show solidarity with medics

Medical students have poured onto the streets in solidarity with striking medics to pressure the government to end the doctor’s strike so their lectures can resume.

The students who marched to the Ministry of Health headquarters at Afya House sought to pile pressure on Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu to act and end the stalemate with doctors so that they can resume their studies.

This comes even as fresh talks between the CS and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials entered its third day today (Thursday) with sources revealing that the CS has finally recognized the 24 paged document.

The two-hour session at a Nairobi hotel on Wednesday covered article three of the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2013 that addresses doctors’ rights, job groups, deployment, and training.

Thursday’s deliberations that will tackle article four are expected to be a make or break of the already bleak negotiations, as it covers doctors remuneration, where the medics are calling for a three hundred per cent pay increment.

The lecturers, who constitute senior consultants at the Kenyatta National Hospital, joined the strike that enters its 47th day today.

Meanwhile, the union officials have six days to call off the strike or have its officials go to jail.

In a court ruling on 12th January 2017, the judge gave the union officials a two-week window to allow return-to-work talks with the government on their demands failure to which they would be arrested and jailed for one month.

The officials have, however, remained adamant saying they will call off the strike only after the CBA is fully implemented.

So far, the government had offered the striking medics a 40% pay rise, an offer the medics have since rejected.

The government also offered to raise the entry level grade for the public service for doctors to Job Group “M” from Job Group “L”, a grade it terms as higher than the normal entry level for other public servants and recognises doctors’ professional training.

The government further offered to raise the Enhanced Emergency Call allowance to Ksh 66,000 from the current Ksh 30,000 for Job Group L; Ksh 72,000 from Ksh 30,000 for Job Groups M-P; and Ksh 80,000 from Ksh 30,000 for Job Groups Q and above.

A new Doctors’ risk allowance was on offer at a flat rate of Ksh 10,000 per month.

“The sum total of the government’s offer means that the minimum gross salary for doctors will increase to Ksh 196,989 from the current Ksh 140,244 at full implementation at the current entry Job Group L,” read the government’s statement in part.

“The total impact of the government offer on the exchequer will be an additional expenditure of Ksh4 billion annually – shared among the nation’s 5,000 doctors.”

In their CBA however, doctors want a 300 percent pay rise, review of their working conditions and job structures and promotion criteria, and under-staffing of medics in state hospitals addressed.