Medical students urge govt to meet demands of striking doctors

University of Nairobi medical students have called on the government to fast-track the implementation of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) as demanded by the striking doctors.

University of Nairobi Association of Medical Students held a demonstration Thursday and urged the government to implement the contested 2013 CBA or risk the collapse of the medical profession.

“We want the collective bargaining agreement implemented to restore normalcy in the medical sector. The profession is collapsing right in front of us. The only way to rescue this profession is to implement the CBA,” student association chairman Ahmed Dekow told journalists.

He called on the Education Cabinet secretary to intervene, saying medical students had been affected by the ongoing strike.

“We call upon Dr Fred Matiang’i to come in and handle this medical crisis the way he has handled the education sector. To be a medical doctor you have to be trained but right now the medical school is on the verge of being closed. We want him to address this issue as soon as possible,” he said.

Mr Dekow also asked the Council of Governors to stop treating them with disdain by telling them to apply in order to be absorbed into the workforce.