Doctors have planned another protest on Thursday in their efforts to push for the posting of medical interns.
This is even as the February deadline which had been agreed upon in a meeting held between the Ministry of Health and the doctors’ union nears the end.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union has already written to the Nairobi area Regional police commander to provide security during the procession.
The procession is expected to start from Upper Hill and proceed to Afya House and then to the Treasury.
“There is nothing about doctors without doctors. On Thursday, KMPDU will be marching to the Ministry of Health and Treasury and will be demanding posting letters and payment of fees,” KMPDU SG Davji Atellah said.
“We cannot leave our fate at the mercy of the others. We know what is rightfully ours, and we must come out for it. If there are no struggles, there can be no progress; it is not time for promises. It is time for action,” he noted.
According to KMPDU, 1,215 medical interns are awaiting posting with some having waited for either six months or one year.
Last week, the union held a meeting with 611 interns in Nairobi during which it was agreed that posting of all pending interns be done by March 1.
"We expect all the interns to be reporting to their respective by March 1 otherwise on February 29 we will all go to the Ministry of Health to collect these letters," the SG said last week.
Atellah said the delay in posting the interns not only tramples upon their constitutional rights but also places an imminent threat on patient care within public hospitals.
He further noted that the delay is not just a convenience but also hinders their ability to fulfill their duties hence an impediment to their career progression.
The interns and union officials led by the SG have been advised to assemble at KMA centre for the procession which is expected to start at 9:30 am.
"We must show up collectively in one voice and demand the letters now. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle," Atellah said.
The unions on February 15 held a meeting with the health CS Susan Nakhumicha on the matter.
In the Thursday meeting, the ministry withdrew the earlier communiqué indicating posting would be done in July.
The ministry blamed the delay in posting interns on the failure of the Treasury to release funds on time.
