Doctors return to work after pay deal with Moi Referral
Medics and members of the public outside the Moi Referral Hospital after the doctors strike was called off yesterday Photo/Mathews Ndanyi
The strike by more than 200 doctors at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital has been called. The hospital's CEO John Kibosia said the doctors had signed a return to work agreement with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union, ending the one week strike. The medics were demanding payment of outstanding allowances. Kibosia said the government had agreed to meet the doctors demands in one month's time.
KMPDU secretary general Mogeni Mogaka confirmed the doctors had agreed to resume work, but he would give details about the agreement later. Kibosia said, "by September the doctors will get their dues as per the agreement." Mogaka said that among other issues that had been agreed on was that the government will harmonise doctor's basic salary and other hospital's workers.
"We agreed that the harmonization should be done on or before the end of September but they salaries will be backdated to 1st July 2012", said the KMPDU official. Under the agreement Mogaka said they agreed that medical specialists and other doctors be promoted effective 1st August 2012 as part of an earlier agreement signed with the government last year.The hospital management has also agreed to review the scheme of service for all the doctors and give a report within eight days after which the report will be acted on immediately.
The hospital which is second largest referral institution in the country will also pay post graduate fee for all doctors it has released to go fpr study. Commuter and House allowance which the doctors were demanding will be implemented through a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the hospital and the KMPDU.
Mogeni said they had agreed that none of the medics who was on strike will be victimized because of the industrial action. At the same time the government has also agreed to increase funding to the hospital which faces a shortfall of more than Ksh 4 Billion in its budget this year."We also want a well-equipped ICU, accident department and a human resource development unit and through the funding the hospital will now be able to set up the units," said Dr Mogeni.