KMPDU Demands Healthcare Workers’ Salaries be Paid by 5th of Each Month

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) are demanding for healthcare workers to be paid 5^th of every month to prevent unrest.

The doctor’s union secretary general Davji Atellah reported that all other counties had cleared the pending March salaries except Kisumu which sought a court injunction to stop the ongoing doctors’ strike.

“We are giving permanent notice to all the 47 counties that by the 5th of May, the April salaries should be paid,” Atellah stated.

“Yesterday, almost all counties had paid their March salaries except Kisumu County which actually proceeded to get an injunction from the courts to stop the ongoing walk-out the doctors and other healthcare workers were having,” he added.

Moreover, officials from KMPDU joined their counterparts from East Africa on Wednesday, April 26 to discuss the state of healthcare in East Africa.

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Some of the issues discussed include health workforce shortages, underfunding of health, and privatization of healthcare which they said undermines health equity and universal access to services by the communities.

Likewise, the East African Health Sector Unions Network (EASHUN) officials held a plenary session in Nairobi with health sector union leaders from all countries in East Africa.

Nevertheless, healthcare workers across the country downed their tools last week over non-payment of salaries.

KMPDU cited occasional delays in salary payment in other months as their reason for striking.

According to the doctors’ union, health workers are in a difficult financial situation. Hence, they are unable to meet their daily needs, including transportation, food, and accommodation expenses”.