Doctors and state officials were due to hold court-mandated talks on Thursday evening.
The meeting was ordered by the Labour Court to find a solution to the strike, which started on March 14.
The doctors initially went on strike demanding posting of interns but added other demands such as discussions on a new collective bargaining agreement.
The Thursday meeting was to take place from 4.45pm at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre VIP Pavilion.
Chief of Staff Felix Koskei, who sent the invitation letters, said he was simply responding to orders made by the Labour Court last week.
“The consultative meeting shall discuss the issues raised by the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union with a view of ensuring they are wholly addressed and the long-running cycle of perennial disputes that has plagued Kenya's health sector is finally broken,” he said in the invitation letter.
"Accordingly and by way of this letter, the invitation is extended to all the Principal secretaries and chief executive officers purposely copied herein."
The orders suspending the strike and mandating the talks were issued on March 15 by Justice Byram Ongaya in response to a certificate of urgency suit filed by James Kounah Advocates.
"Pending the inter-partes hearing of the pending applications or recording of a compromise as may be just and appropriate, a whole-of-nation approach is hereby instituted towards resolving the instant long running dispute in the Kenya's health sector,” Justice Ongaya said.
He said Thursday’s meeting should bring together the Head of Public Service, Finance CS, Public Service CS, Labour and Social Protection CS, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the Public Service Commission.
Others are the Council of Governors, the Kenya Federation of Employers, the Central Organisation of Trade Unions and all national referral hospitals and the parties to the suit.
He also suspended the strike, but doctors have violated this order as many of them are still on strike.
"For avoidance of doubt, the strike notice Ref No KMPDU/L T/125/2024 date 6-3-2024 and any strike as flowing therefrom is hereby stayed or suspended to allow the whole-of-nation approach now instituted, as well as, the ongoing negotiations and conciliation, to seek to arrive at a lasting and sustainable solution to the instant dispute," Ongaya said.
The doctors are demanding that the government immediately posts medical interns and clears the basic salary arrears for doctors as per the 2017 collective bargaining agreement.
The ministry had in previous responses to the doctors said the posting and payment of interns would require Sh4.9 billion, funds that Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha says her ministry does not have.
By the time of going to press, the meeting was still on.
