Relief for patients as county, doctors reach deal to end strike

The Embu County government has agreed to employ more doctors, promote the existing ones and improve their working conditions in a bid to end a 12-day strike by the doctors.

In-patient services were hard hit by the strike.

In the deal, the county government will in two weeks, recruit 10 medical officers, four consultants who include a physician, radiologist, anaesthesiologist and a nephrologist to bridge the manpower gap.

Doctors in public hospitals in the county have been on strike protesting acute shortage of medics which they which has already hampered provision of medical services at the facilities.

Speaking after signing the return-to-work formula at county headquarters, County Secretary Raymond Kinyua promised that the County Public Service Board would ensure that all doctors whose promotion is due, are promoted by October 30.

They will also be paid their arrears from the effective date of the promotion, while interviews for other doctors whose promotion has not been considered, kicks off in 12 weeks.

Mr Kinyua also promised that the county public service board would come up with a clear policy and guidelines on the absorption of doctors posted by the intergovernmental relations technical committee.

He said the health department would also be making proposal in the supplementary department health budget to hire four specialists who include a gynaecologist, anaesthesiologist, two clinical pharmacists, eight pharmacists and 10 dentists.

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Upper Eastern Secretary-General Mark Ndung’u hailed the deal saying they were satisfied with the offer and agreed to resume duty.

He said they were optimistic that the county government would honour its word and observe the timelines agreed upon.

“We have agreed with majority of issues and come up with a return-to-work formula. It has timelines and we are relying on the goodwill that has been developed during these deliberations. We urge the doctors in Embu to go back to work,” said Dr Ndung’u.

Health CEC Pauline Njagi said service delivery had greatly been hampered during the strike that saw the Embu Level Five hospital and other Level Four hospitals suspend all in-patient services.

She said the county had a challenge of enough manpower since salaries took up a big share of the health docket’s allocation.

Also present were KMPDU county Representative Augustine Mwiti, Health Chief Officer Francis Ndwiga and Health Director Mugendi Ndwiga.