Governors engaged the National government in a blame game over the ongoing doctors’ strike.
County bosses who addressed a press conference absolved themselves from blame for most of the grievances tabled by the striking doctors.
Even as they called on the doctors to obey court orders suspending their strike and resume work or face the sack, the county chiefs, however, stopped short of accusing the National government of tinkering with issues raised by the medics for a long time.
Governors, who held an extra-ordinary meeting on Wednesday, also called on the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union to negotiate a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with individual county governments.
Their key grievances include; delayed posting of interns, fair remuneration of interns, postgraduate training, employment of more doctors and comprehensive health coverage. According to Council of Governors (CoG) chair Anne Waiguru, the delayed posting of interns was a National government issue.
“We note that the delayed posting of interns is a National government issue, however, we wish to inform doctors and the public that all internship training centres within county facilities are available to receive and welcome the interns once they are posted,” Waiguru said.
Same terms
On the issue of the extension of contracts for the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff, governors urged the ministry to implement a resolution on the Summit held in Naivasha on February 12, 2023.
“Summit directed the ministry to extend contracts of UHC staff for three years under the same terms and conditions,” Waiguru noted.
However, this was contrary to the demand from unions that they are given permanent and pensionable terms.
The unions insisted that the more than 8,550 staff be hired on permanent and pensionable terms. “We have therefore agreed that the Ministry of Health to extend contracts of UHC staff for three years term under the same terms and conditions,” communiqué from the governors’ summit reads.
On the failure to release doctors for post-graduate training, the county chiefs said contrary to this assertion by the union, counties have almost 1,000 medics out on post-graduate studies.
“We wish to note that currently, there are 890 doctors released to undertake postgraduate training by various counties,” the governors said in another resolution, noting that this demonstrates their willingness and compliance to release the medics for further training.
And on the payment of institutional fees for doctors on postgraduate training, governors urged the ministry to ensure timely payment of fees to allow the doctors complete their studies within the stipulated time and return to offer services to Kenyans without undue delay.
“We have also addressed the issue of payment of arrears of basic salaries as per the 2017 CBA. We have noted that the CBA that was signed by the National government and us, was not funded to implement the proposed salaries,” said the governors.
Waiguru at the same time noted that since health is a devolved function, counties are best placed to address their grievances.
The CoG now wants the doctors to halt the ongoing strike and resume work or face consequences.
Waiguru, however, refrained from assuming blanket responsibility on the matter, instead urging respective counties to take action.
