Crisis As Doctors and Nurses Begin a Nationwide Strike

Doctors and nurses in Kenya kicked off a nationwide strike on Monday with patients in public hospitals set to suffer even as the government fails to reach an amicable solution with the medics.

Talks that had been called by the Health Ministry last evening collapsed as the unions for both the nurses and doctors boycotted the meeting with the Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu saying that the notices issued by Kenya National Union of Nurses and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Pharmacist Union were premature and unrealistic calling them for negotiations.

The doctors are demanding for a 300 percent increase in their salaries according to the CBA that was signed in the year 2013. They say that since then, the government has never taken into account of the stipulations of the CBA. If the new demands are to be made, the lowest paid doctor will go home with 342,000 shillings with the highest receiving 940,000 shillings from the current pay of 40,000 shillings for the lowest doctor and 500,000 shillings for the highest paid doctor.

According to Mr. Olunga Ouma, the General Secretary of the KMPDU, “Kenyans should not expect any emergency services in public hospitals including Kenyatta National Hospital.” He says that the doctors “have been patient since 2013 when they signed the negotiated CBA and after three years, they are yet to benefit from it.”

The health sector in Kenya has been ailing over the years with matters being made worse after the sector was moved into the counties. Doctors and nurses in various counties have been going on strike with complains over poor working conditions as well as poor remuneration with the latest being in Nairobi County and Kakamega County.

Some County Governors like Kinuthia Mbugua of Nakuru have threatened to start a recruitment of new nurses and doctors as from Monday, a commend that has angered some of the doctors in the county and beyond.