• The delayed posting was the main reason doctors went on strike on March 14 last month. They later added demands related to their 2017 collective Bargaining Agreement.
• Last week on Tuesday, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, said the government had secured Sh2.4 billion to facilitate the immediate deployment
Image: LEAH MUKANGAI
Ministry of Health has given medical, dental and pharmacy interns less than five days to report to internship centres.
This delayed posting was the main reason doctors went on strike last month.
Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said the posting letters have been emailed to the interns and they should report on Monday.
This means they do not need to “collect” their letters from Afya House, which the union had advised against.
“Their posting has been completed and offer of internship placement letters sent to respective emails. The interns are expected to report to their respective internship centres as indicated against their names below by April 15,” Muthoni said in a notice appearing in the Star on Wednesday.
The interns comprise 72 dentists, 849 medical officers and 289 pharmacists.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council has also issued them with internship licences they require for the hands-on training.
“The students are required to undergo an internship training programme for a period of 13 months,” KMPDC said.
The council said failure to complete the internship leads to an extension of the internship period, or discontinuation from the programme.
The interns can also be disciplined by the council or by the courts for misconduct.
Medical interns complete a rotational of about three months each in the five main disciplines including internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics and child health, obstetrics and gynaecology and psychiatry and community health.
Pharmacy internships are run by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.
The delayed posting was the main reason doctors went on strike on March 14 last month. They later added demands related to their 2017 collective Bargaining Agreement.
Last week on Tuesday, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said the government had secured Sh2.4 billion to facilitate the immediate deployment and posting of the 2023/24 cohort of medical and dental student interns.
"In that regard, all eligible medical student interns are urged to collect their posting letters from the Ministry of Health's offices with effect from Thursday, April 4, 2024," Koskei said.
This resolution, he said, was arrived at during two conciliatory meetings held on March 21 and subsequently on March 27 as ordered by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
"With that spirit in mind, the leadership of the KMPDU is urged to comply with its obligations under the court's orders by immediately suspending the ongoing industrial action," he said.
The Whole of the Nation Approach Committee spearheading mediation talks identified 19 issues raised by the striking doctors.
Koskei said the mediation committee classified and prioritised each issue and assigned responsibility to each tier of government.
He said six of of the issues fall under the national government’s mandate, nine fall under county government’s mandate while four are concurrent and are a responsibility of both levels of government.
Koskei said besides the deployment of medical interns, the national government will pay the basic salary arrears arising from the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
He said the national government will also provide grants and scholarships for eligible postgraduate medical officers.
“We are aware that county governments are at various stages of addressing the issues raised in respect to their counties,” he said.
Koskei, who chairs the Whole of the Nation Approach Committee, said the court sanctioned conciliation talks will continue to seek solutions to issues that informed formation of the dialogue team.
He said this includes conclusion of a memorandum of understanding on the minimum safety services doctors should provide in case of a protected strike.
The Chief of Staff assured the commitment of all actors to the conciliation process saying both levels of government, state agencies and stakeholders remain committed towards constructive dialogue, addressing concerns and ensuring the health and well-being of all Kenyans.