Doctors in US in solidarity with Kenyan medics as strike bites

Doctors in the United States on Monday came out to protest in solidarity with striking Kenyan doctors.

Members of the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) organised protests across several states in the US.

According to the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), the CIR released a statement expressing their support for striking doctors.

The doctors have now been on strike since March 14, 2024, paralysing service provision across all public health facilities.

They outlined 19 issues in their strike notice dated March 6, 2024, eighteen of which Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said on Monday had been resolved.

Of the 19 issues doctors raised, six relate to counties, nine to the national government and four relate to both levels of government.

The contentious issue of posting interns is a preserve of the national government.

Governors, stakeholders and KMPDU representatives have been attending the 'Whole of Nation Committee' talks led by Koskei since March 21.

Over that period, both sides ceded hardline stances and it was highly expected the sides would ink a return-to-work formula latest Tuesday.

On Friday, the doctors’ union officials declined to sign the agreed terms after daylong talks.

The doctors said nothing had changed in the document.

Koskei said the government will next week seek court orders to institute disciplinary action against the doctors after they introduced new demands.

"We are going to petition the court to allow us to take any necessary action to alleviate the problem that is obtaining and at the same time to ensure that the lives and health of people of Kenya are safeguarded," Koskei said.

Speaking after the medics walked out of the talks, Koskei said upon receipt of the court order, the government will utilise the Sh2.4 billion allocated for hiring intern doctors for other intervening priorities like floods.

"The more they stay, we shall reallocate that money to intervene on immediate and urgent issues like floods and other things. We don't have the luxury of time and unlimited resources," he said.

According to the Head of Public Service, the government does not have money to accommodate all demands fronted by the doctors.

Koskei said the government will seek orders to compel the doctors to report to work failing which the government will proceed and recruit new doctors.

On Friday, Health CS Susan Nakhumicha accused the doctors of insincerity adding that they introduced fresh demands.

"The doctors were getting out to consult, they came back inside and we continued to negotiate until the last minute when they said that their constitution does not allow them to sign the documents at night and on the issues that they introduced that were not initially in the document," she added.

The CS said that the government and doctors failed to negotiate on only one issue; the posting of interns.

Nakhumicha said doctors, however, introduced fresh demands.

"They want the government to pay salaries to self-sponsored registrars. As a doctor, you say that you want to enrol for a Masters telling the university that you will pay for yourself and now they are asking the government to pay for them," she said.

The CS added that the ministry has already signed the agreement, which now awaits to be deposited in court on Monday.