300 KNH doctors boycott work over July salaries
Medics attached to Kenyatta National Hospital demonstrate on August 21, 2014, outside the offices of the Ministry of Health in Nairobi to demand their July salaries. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
A crisis is looming at Kenyatta National Hospital after 314 registrar doctors took to the streets to demand their July salaries.
They protested on Thursday by marching from Kenyatta National Hospital to Afya House and then to Parliament buildings.
Registrar doctors are qualified medics pursuing post-graduate training to specialise in various fields in the profession.
The doctors, who are employed on permanent and pensionable terms, accused Nairobi City County of failing to release their July salaries and vowed they will not resume duty until their salaries are paid.
They were led by their representative, Dr Bernard Oreke, and Dr George Yuya, the acting secretary-general of the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPPDU) in Nairobi County.
CABINET SECRETARY'S ASSURANCE
At Parliament buildings, Dr James Nyikal, the former director of medical services who is now the Seme MP, summoned Dr Rachel Nyamai, the parliamentary Health Committee chairperson, and Cabinet Secretary for Health James Macharia, who was holding a meeting with the committee, for discussions on the doctors' grievances.
Mr Macharia assured the doctors that he had personally discussed their salary issue with Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, who, he said, had confirmed they would be paid their July salaries this week.
He expressed his surprise that they had not been paid as earlier agreed.
“I would like to reassure you that your July salary will be paid, since Treasury has already sent the money to Nairobi County.
MANAGEMENT ISSUES
“I will discuss this issue again this afternoon with Dr Kidero so that we can resolve on the way forward,” Mr Macharia added.
However, Dr Nyamai expressed her committee’s disaffection with the way governors have been handling human resource issues in the health sector since devolution was implemented.
“If governors are having a problem in the payment of doctors' salaries and other human resource issues, then this should revert back to the national government.
“Parliament (empathises) with your plight, and we are dissatisfied with the way counties are managing the health sector since they are not doing it properly,” Dr Nyamai added.
