Amoth: Why gov’t reduced salaries for medical interns

Acting Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth has defended the government's decision to pay medical interns between Ksh27,000 and Ksh70,000.

Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Thursday, April 4, 2024, Amoth criticized the doctors' move to have the interns paid over Ksh200,000, explaining that with the number of yearly graduates, the government would be unable to meet the demand due to its financial constraints.

"This batch of 3759 will require a budget of Ksh4.8 billion but remember every year doctors graduate. So the challenge we have is that every year this figure is going to increase. This figure is also not arbitrary from SRC we have also looked at other jurisdictions," he said.

Amoth also stated that the current rates are similar to what other neighbouring countries pay their interns.

"Nigeria, the economic power of the continent paid interns an equivalent of Ksh70,000, South Africa which is a higher income country pays their interns Ksh208,000, Rwanda pays about Ksh50,000, Tanzania pays Ksh66,000, Uganda is currently paying Ksh50,000, Ghana which is in the same league as us pays their interns an equivalent of Ksh45,000," he added.

Amoth's remarks come amid an ongoing strike which has paralysed different parts of the country.

The strike entered its third week, with doctors calling on private practitioners to join the force as they pressure the government to post interns.

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Atellah maintained that the strike will continue until the government comply with ther demands even after the Employment and Labour Relations Court ordered them to suspend the strike.

Head of Public Service Felix Koskei announced that the government had disbursed Ksh2.4 billion for the deployment of the interns.

Responding to this, Atellah stated that the aforementioned money has been reduced by 91 per cent, when ideally the budget for interns should be Ksh4.8 billion.

“For them to be paid as per the SRC, it means they have gone against the 2017 court order which ordered the implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. They are in contempt. Ideally, the budget to cover all medical interns was Ksh4.8 billion and they have reduced the salaries by half,” Atellah said.

"This was impunity of the highest order, you cannot purport to have released Sh2.4 billion for the intern doctors yet you have reduced their salaries by 91 percent. This is utter contempt. We will not entertain this," he added.