Kenyan government physicians sign a deal to terminate their strike

According to union and government authorities, Kenyan public hospital doctors signed a return-to-work agreement with the government on Wednesday, ending a strike that began in mid-March.

The almost 7,000-member Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) went on strike on March 15 to protest, among other things, the nonpayment of their salary arrears and the hiring of trainee physicians immediately.

Senior government officials and union representatives were shown shaking hands on television after signing the contracts.

The health minister, Susan Nakhumicha, declared, “We have signed a return-to-work formula and the union has called off the strike.”

The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) from 2017, according to the union, is what caused the doctors’ arrears. It was also demanded by doctors that they and their dependents have sufficient health insurance.

“One thing we must assure everybody, every doctor, every person that the rights of workers as enshrined in the collective bargaining agreement that is signed is that it is sacrosanct, we will always endeavour to protect that,” said Dhavji Atellah, the secretary general of the K

Although it was agreed that the interns would be posted within 60 days, he noted that the employment of interns demand was still pending in court.

The administration claimed that because of financial strain on the public coffers, it cannot afford to hire the training doctors.

Strikes frequently affect Kenya’s health system, which medical professionals claim is understaffed and underfunded.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2017, a three-month-long walkout by doctors at certain hospitals over the absence of personal protective equipment and other issues was called off.

Those in need of assistance will be relieved when the strike ends, particularly in the wake of the severe rains and flooding that have left 293,661 people homeless and 257 people dead since March.

Citing cholera instances that have emerged in several regions of the nation, Muthomi Njuki, the governor of Tharaka Nithi County, stated, “We will wish they can go back in the next few minutes because we really want our health to be back on track.”

Clinical officers are another group of healthcare professionals that are continuing on strike.