•A meeting held on Monday between the ministry of Health and doctors’ union officials failed to bear any tangible resolutions that would end the strike
•This is even as another multi-stakeholders meeting is scheduled for Tuesday by the Ministry of Labour to resolve the impasse
Image: HESBORN ETYANG
The Ministry of Labour has scheduled a meeting on Tuesday in an effort to resolve the issues raised by striking doctors.
This is after the meeting held on Monday between the doctors' union and the Ministry of Health failed to bear fruits.
In another meeting expected to take place at the Ministry of Labour offices, key issues that need multi-stakeholder input will be discussed.
The letter dated March 15 by the chief industrial relations officer at the Ministry of Labour Millicent Muli is also copied to the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU-K), Federation of Kenya Employers, county public service boards and all vice-chancellors of medical training universities.
The meeting will bring together key stakeholders including the Ministry of Health, the National Treasury, the Council of Governors, the Ministry of Public Service, the Public Service Commission and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
The CEOs of major public hospitals such as the Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital, the National Spinal Injury Referral Hospital and Kenyatta University Teaching, Research and Referral Hospital are also expected to attend.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union SG Davji Atellah said the union is ready to attend any conciliation meetings when called upon.
“We are ready for meetings every time and when we are invited we honour," Atellah said.
"Today we have seen a letter coming from the Ministry of Labour and also inviting the PS for the Public Service and all the teams that were mentioned there for a meeting tomorrow at 10 am,” Atellah said.
Health CS Susan Nakhumicha disclosed that it had been resolved that issues which require a whole nation approach be escalated for further discussion.
The CS said most of the issues that had been raised by the doctors are crosscutting matters which require the involvement of other stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, CoG, SRC, the National Treasury and the head of Public Service.
“We also took note of ongoing conciliation meetings that are in progress and as a ministry together with the union we are agreed to participate fully to give the conciliation the information that they need so that matters can be progressed,” Nakhumicha said.
The CS however noted that it was agreed that issues which the doctors had raised and which fall within the ministry mandate such as the posting of interns would be handled.
The union has, however, maintained that they will not call off the strike despite the promises by the ministry.
Atellah said the union has in the past held meetings with the government but the commitments arrived at had never been implemented.
He said issues much as the posting of interns had lingered on for long, adding that despite previous promises to post the interns nothing has been done to date.
"We just want to affirm that our strike is on. We know very well that we have had a promise before and the interns were to be posted in February, today we were given a promise that they would be posted in April," Atellah said.