A last-minute effort by a Senate committee on Thursday to avert doctors’ strike set to begin on Monday has failed.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union top brass declined pleas by the Senate Health Committee to postpone the strike pending mediation.
The union issued a 21-day strike notice mid last month, citing 10 grounds for the industrial action. At least 10 doctors had died with Covid-19 at the time.
The doctors cited lack of a comprehensive medical cover for health workers, skewed payment of allowances among others grievances.
KMPDU secretary-general Chibanzi Mwachonda told the committee that the decision on whether to give them seven more days was not in his hands.
“It is subject to consultation with stakeholders and doctors. You will give me time, I will consult and get back,” Mwachonda said.
He appeared before the committee chaired by Trans Nzoia Senator Michael Mbito to discuss the strike notice.
Mwachonda said unless their grievances are addressed, including the provision of standard PPE to all the health workers, the union will not call off the strike.
“The industrial strike is still on unless the county and national governments meet our needs,” Mwachonda told the senators.
Senator Mbito said there was still room for consultation and building consensus.
“We are going to invite and issue summons concurrently to all parties including the CS Health, Council of Governors and NHIF,” Mbito said.
“We are pleading with you to postpone this strike to allow for dialogue; we are sure that we will strike a compromise.”
Mwachonda was accompanied by union chairman Samuel Oroko and Central region branch secretary Gor Goody.
He said since issuing the strike notice, the government and council of governors had yet to make efforts to address their concerns.
"We have never heard from CoG; we have met the Ministry of Health once," he said.
Meanwhile, the Prayer and Revival Ministry has called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene and avert the strike by health workers.
“The church notes with a lot of concern that if the situation is not addressed urgently, the country is going to lose a very important human resource in this war against Covid-19,” it said in a statement.
It decried the high number of doctors who are dying in the course of duty.
“A doctor should not die while on duty. Much needs to be done by the relevant authorities to address the plight of those at the forefront fighting the pandemic,” the ministry said.
The church, however, said calling a strike is in contravention of the core mandate of doctors.
“In this regard, we urge them to look for the best alternative dispute resolution mechanism to address their concerns,” the ministry stated.
