Governors to employ doctors on contract to ease work
Doctors protest outside the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on January 26, 2017. Counties weighing whether to hire doctors on contract. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- County bosses have threatened to sack striking doctors, saying they had run out of patience.
- Doctors are demanding better pay and working conditions, a review of job groups and improved health care services in the country.
Governors said they will hire doctors on a three-year renewable contract as opposed to the current permanent work terms.
This, they said, will help them engage the doctors in a more sober manner compared with now, when they are permanent and under the national government.
The county bosses have threatened to sack striking doctors, saying they had run out of patience.
Council of Governors health committee chairman Jack Ranguma on Sunday told the Nation that even when the striking doctors get back to work, they will have to apply for their positions afresh to be absorbed.
“We are looking for a working period. We will either settle for two or three-year contracts,” he said.
The doctors are demanding better pay and working conditions, a review of job groups and improved healthcare services in the country.
“We have learnt our lessons and we are going to engage the doctors per counties. Each county as an employing agency will engage their doctors,” said Mr Ranguma.
Council of Governors vice-chairman John Mruttu said the doctors have been on an illegal strike and that county bosses have no option but to get a way of curbing future strikes.
NEW CONDITIONS
Meanwhile, doctors have said they are willing to continue with talks this week to end the 57-day strike, but insist that this should only happen within the new conditions that they issued last week — that there should be mediators and that negotiations be conducted in public.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union also said it will not engage in negotiations if Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu, who has led the discussions from the government side, is part of it.
KMPDU Secretary-General Ouma Oluga said Sunday: “We hope the government agrees to mediation. We want the process to be open, in front of the press so that the public can get to know what is happening, because we feel this matter is being treated with a lot of secrecy, preference for the private sector and under-the-table dealings.”
As the union looks forward to negotiations, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero has said Parliament should work harder to end the strike.
He urged MPs to convene a special sitting to address the issue.
Reports by Angela Oketch, Eunice Kilonzo and Lillian Mutavi
