Doctors disown accord and stay away from work

The return-to-work agreement between doctors and the government collapsed on Tuesday—just hours after it had been reached.

Doctors working in public hospitals said they were short-changed in the Monday night agreement and would not resume work without further concessions.

But the Director of Medical Services, Dr Francis Kimani, declared the fresh strike illegal and hinted that action could be taken against those who refuse to resume work.

Failed negotiations

The government could either withhold salaries or sack the doctors after declaring their action illegal

“They are jumping the gun yet we arrived at an agreement yesterday (Monday),” Dr Kimani said in a phone interview.

He said some of the issues raised would be addressed by the task force that begins its meetings Wednesday.

The director urged striking doctors to report to their respective work stations and resume work as they wait for the findings and recommendations of the task force.

Doctors on their part said they would continue with their quest for better terms, terming recent agreement as failed negotiations with the employer.

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union Secretary General Boniface Chitayi told journalists on Tuesday that part of their demands had not been honoured, and as a result, the strike was still on.

“Some of demands like that touching on registrars has still not been addressed,” the union officials pointed out.

The earlier deal was arrived at at a closed-door meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and attended by Ministry of Health officials on Monday from 3pm until late.

Salaries in two phases

In the agreement, the government pledged to increase doctors salaries in two phases, with the first coming into effect this month and the other in July next year.

It also pledged to provide Sh200 million for training and extraneous allowance.

The government said it would form a task force that would include six doctors and six government representatives to look into doctors’ grievances.

However union officials, who addressed journalists yesterday morning, said the decision to call off the strike was hurried and did not represent the true position.

Union officials said they were unrelenting in their demand for a 300 per cent pay rise, a 30 per cent risk allowance and a medical insurance cover. Also included in their demands is a commitment to improve the state of public health facilities countrywide.

Continue with the strike

“Based on lessons learnt from the history of task forces in this country, we reject the government offer until it addresses the issue of the registrars and the public stake in health care,” Dr Victor N’gani said.

The doctors vowed to continue with the strike until “an acceptable offer that takes care of the public and registrar is mentioned.”

“We reiterate that the strike is more than just addressing the pay,” the union officials said adding demands on improving the standards of health care should be equally addressed.

However, as the government and doctors wrangled, confusion continued to reign in public hospitals.

At Kenyatta National Hospital, services have been scaled down, with only the critical areas functioning like paediatric emergency, Critical Care Unit, Burns unit, Accident and Emergency, maternal health care.

Patients on Tuesday waited for treatment in vain, following reports that doctors had resumed work.

Only nurses and other medical personnel attended to the sick while doctors remained out of sight.

On our visit to the referral hospital, we met 52-year-old Angelina Mbinda who had been referred there by Mbagathi District Hospital.

She said no one had attended to her and that nurses had declined to register more patients for treatment.

“I haven’t been given any treatment and the nurses have refused to give me a medical card so that I can be treated,” Ms Mbinda told the Nation.

For a head scan

“But I will still come back for treatment tomorrow and the following day, until someone attends to me.”

Early this month Ms Mbinda work up and discovered that the left side of her body, including the head, was completely paralysed, making her mouth droop on one side.

Being a tailor by profession, she could not continue with her business that helps to provide food for her and her only 17-year-old son.

Doctors at the Mbagathi Hospital had advised to go to KNH for a head scan to find out the cause of the paralysis and excruciating pain she was feeling. Ms Mbinda said she was surprised at how both government and doctors could continue to differ on a matter that could cost the lives of Kenyans.

She called upon the government to meet the demands of doctors and put an end to the suffering of the sick countrywide.

During the Jamhuri Day celebrations on Monday, President Kibaki directed Public Service minister Dalmas Otieno to find a solution to the strike. (READ: Kibaki urges striking doctors to resume work)

He asked Mr Otieno to work,’ with all those involved,’ in finding a solution to the one-week old strike.

The strike has paralysed health care countrywide with the most affected being provincial and district hospitals.