The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has signed a return-to-work formula ending the doctors’ strike after 56 days.
The Ministry of Health has announced that KMPDU officials finally signed the court order on Wednesday, May 8.
The doctors came to an agreement following a meeting between the Ministry officials, Head of Public Service, National Advisory Council and the county government representatives.
“After 56 days, Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) signs agreement, ending nationwide doctors’ strike,” noted MoH.
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atella said doctors signed the return-to-work formula after a series of negotiations that will pave way for medics to resume work within 24 hours from the time of signing the agreement.
“The strike that began on 13th of March 2024 has been called off. We have decided to take the government’s promises for the last time,” Atella said.
The Issue of Doctor Interns is Still Pending
Atellah further stated that one of the fundamental issues of doctor interns is still pending.
“This matter has been part of the conversations, and we could not come to a particular agreement because the union was for the opinion that doctor interns must be posted immediately as per the CBA while the government was for the opinion that we have to wait for the Court’s mitigation that is ongoing in Eldoret before we come to an agreement,” KMPDU said.
“All the doctor interns will have to wait a little bit longer. We have agreed on a 60-days period that they will not be posted but we will be having conversations on this issue. ”
Also Read: Mutahi Kagwe Schools Nakhumicha on Managing Doctors Strike
Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei thanked the KMPDU for stepping down stating that they now have a document that has been signed formally and will be deposited in court so that Kenyans will start enjoying the health services.
The agreement comes after the Labour and Relations court ordered the striking doctors and the government to reach an agreement within 48 hours.
However, KMPDU official had earlier refused to sign the order and instead issued additional demands that they wanted the government to address.
Mutahi Kagwe Schooling CS Nakhumicha on Doctors, Strike
Former Health CS Mutahi Kagwe had advised Nakhumicha that it was important that the Ministry of Health addressed the main concerns of the doctors first instead of allocating money to matters of less concern.
“Let’s put every cent that we have in the most useful area in the crisis that we have right now. We need to pay the doctors something, and if we need to pull money from somewhere else so that the doctors get something, let’s do that,” he said.
Also Read: Intrigues Behind KMPDU Closed-Door Meeting & Why Doctors Didn’t Call Off Strike
Also, he indicated that the CBA had been there since his time at the Ministry, explaining that he was able to address doctors’ concerns while he was the CS by agreeing with them on what can be solved and what cannot.
“It has been there since 2017. Yes, we know that a CBA was signed and there is a legitimacy in the request that an agreement once made, has got to be sorted out,” he said.
Azimio Coalition, led by Wiper Party on May 8 had warned the Kenya Kwanza regime to take advantage of the 48-hour window given by the courts and immediately reach an agreement with doctors that will see a resumption of normalcy in public hospitals, failure to which, we shall mobilize the public and other unions to join in a national.
