More doctors vow to join strike

PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA Nurses protest at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret town on September 17, 2012. They vowed to continue with the strike until their pay demands are met.

What you need to know:

  • Consultants have been providing services at public hospitals since trainee doctors, known as registrars, went on strike demanding payment of Sh92,000 monthly stipends agreed to after they went on strike in December 2011
  • Dr Ng’ani said he could not understand why the Government was willing to pay Permanent Secretaries Sh100,000 entertainment allowances but would not pay registrars a Sh92,000 stipend
  • The government and union have been given more time to name individuals for a return-to-work formula negotiation team

Consultant doctors will on Tuesday join their colleagues in a strike that entered the sixth day on Monday.

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPPDU) chairman, Dr Victor Ng’ani, made the announcement on Monday.

Consultants have been providing services at public hospitals since trainee doctors, known as registrars, went on strike demanding payment of Sh92,000 monthly stipends agreed to after they went on strike in December 2011.

The 393 registrars were suspended by Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o last week.

The doctors want the Medical Services ministry to explain what happened to Sh181 million released by the Treasury for post-graduate training and implementation of the Musyimi taskforce report on rehabilitation of infrastructure and improvement of service delivery in the sector.

They also want the suspended doctors reinstated.

Speaking at a Press conference at the Public Service Club in Nairobi, Dr Ng’ani said: “On Wednesday, all striking doctors will assemble in Nairobi from 9am and hold demonstrations over the failure by the Government to meet the demands by medics.”

Dr Ng’ani said he could not understand why the Government was willing to pay Permanent Secretaries Sh100,000 entertainment allowances but would not pay registrars a Sh92,000 stipend.

He said the union was planning to sue the Director of Medical Services, the KNH chief executive, Mathare Hospital superintendent and Central provincial director of medical services for “intimidating” its members.

“The Industrial Court ruled that our members should not be intimidated yet the KNH chief executive has ordered some of them to be evicted from their houses at the hospital. This is unconstitutional,” Dr Ng’ani said.

He said doctors’ grievances could not be addressed by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission as a return-to-work agreement existed between the union and government.

“We are not demanding a pay rise but implementation of the return-to-work agreement to end the doctors’ strike in December 2011,” Dr Ng’ani explained.

He said doctors were, therefore, not defying a court order.

Meanwhile, the government and union have been given more time to name individuals for a return-to-work formula negotiation team.

Industrial Court judge Stephen Radido made the directive last week but by yesterday, some parties had not named their representatives.

The Attorney-General, through lawyer Kiage Oenga, told the court that because of the short notice on Friday, he was unable to serve the ministries of Finance, Public Service and Labour to send their representatives. KMPPDU representatives were also absent.

The Medical Services ministry, Kenyatta National Hospital, Mathari Hospital and University of Nairobi sent representatives.

The hospitals are included because services have been paralysed while most registrars are from UoN.

The judge directed the names should be ready by end of Thursday.

The judge also extended the orders stopping the strike. The matter will be mentioned next Monday.