Patients remain stranded as doctors' strike enters week three

The nationwide industrial action by doctors entered its 15th day on Thursday with medics in Mombasa County taking to the streets in protest.

Patients in public hospitals remained stranded, with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) insisting that no amount of intimidation and sacking threats will  have them backing down.

Led by the Coast Region KMPDU officials, the doctors vowed not to heed the directive by the Council of Governors (CoG) wanting the medics to halt the ongoing strike and resume work or face disciplinary action.

The medics staged demonstrations adamant that to call the strike off, all the 19 grievances must be addressed.

“If they want us to return to work they must heed our 19 demands and we will not return to work until they are met,” said Coast KMPDU Secretary General Ghalib Salim.

A Whole-Of-Nation Approach Committee meeting convened to resolve the impasse hit a dead end followed by another failed attempt by the CoG who on Wednesday failed to convince the doctors to return to work.

“They cannot tell us to go to each county to have different CBAs, we have one legal CBA that has been signed kutoka 2021,” Dr. Salim added.

In Kisumu County, staff at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital were directed to resume work by March 27, 2024.

In his memo to medical officers, interns, registrars and consultants working for the hospital, the facility’s CEO Dr. Richard Lesiyampe indicated that the hospital had received a letter from the County Department of Health on taking a roll call of all doctors at work.

In Kisii, the doctors blamed both the county and national governments for failing to address the human resource issues, insisting that they will not be cowed by threats of being sacked for failing to return to work.

“We are willing to lose something for the sake of the profession, for the dignity of the profession we are willing to lose our income,” Nyanza KMPDU chairperson Dr. Steve Ndonga said.

The doctors have vowed to stay put warning of mega demonstrations next week at a time when the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) who are expected to down their tools on Monday are set to join in.

“There is a clinical officer working at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, and in Marani…everyday transport from town...fare kutoka town anatoa wapi, and clinical officers cannot work without doctors...we go there like flower girls...that is why we are joining the doctors in the streets,” Victor Bwanchete, KUCO Secretary Gen in Kisii said.

The healthcare workers insist that they will not resume duty until all their 19 grievances including the delayed posting of interns, extension of contracts for universal health coverage staff, payment of fees for doctors on post-graduate training and payment of arrears of basic salaries as per a 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), are addressed comprehensively.

“This war is not against the patient, this war is against a government that is inept and a ministry that has shown it is not able to lead,” said Dr. Ndonga.