Doctors union now demands that counties pay healthcare their salaries before the 5th of every month to avoid industrial unrest.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union SG Davji Atellah on Wednesday said all the counties had cleared the pending March salaries except Kisumu which has since sought a court injunction to stop the ongoing doctors’ strike.
“We are giving permanent notice to all the 47 counties that by the 5th of May, the April salaries should be paid," Atellah said.
“Yesterday, almost all counties had paid their March salaries except Kisumu County which actually proceeded to get an injunction from the courts to stop the ongoing walk-out the doctors and other healthcare workers were having,” he added.
On Wednesday, officials from KMPDU joined their counterparts from East Africa to discuss the state of healthcare in East Africa.
This includes health workforce shortages, underfunding of health, and privatisation of healthcare which they said undermines health equity and universal access to services by the communities.
The officials under the umbrella of the East African Health Sector Unions Network (EASHUN) held a plenary session in Nairobi with leaders of health sector unions from all countries in East Africa.
Health workers in various counties had downed their tools last week over non-payment of salaries.
The health workers also cited occasional delays in salary payment in other months as their reason for striking.
The unions said the health workers are in a difficult financial situation and “as a result, they are unable to meet their daily needs, including transportation, food, and accommodation expenses”.
