Doctors tell President Ruto to intervene as strike enters 20th day

Striking doctors have urged President William Ruto to intervene in their stalemate with the Ministry of Health which has seen them boycott work for three weeks now.

The medics have downed their tools since March 14 in protest of the government’s failure to post medical interns and the health ministry’s non-adherence to the medics’ 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

As the strike entered its 20th day on Tuesday, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Atellah implored President Ruto to intervene, maintaining that they will not back down until their demands are met.

“Where this matter has reached… it is the president to resolve,” Atellah told a press conference in Nairobi.

Ruto has kept mum on the doctors' strike since it began, only dispatching his Chief of Staff Felix Koskei to broker negotiations between doctors and the health ministry on March 21. The talks were however unfruitful.

Atellah said they are determined to go on with the strike for months, arguing that the health ministry has exhibited a contemptuous attitude in the negotiations.

“We are on day 20, we are ready to go to days 100 and 200 until the govt implements the CBA… They walked out on us; that clearly shows they don’t care how long the strike continues and so we join them,” Atellah said.

He held the government responsible for the suffering of Kenyans whose healthcare has been in disarray since last month.

“There have not been talks so far; they have just been coming to show us their might and intimidate us. We have not had concrete issues on the issues so far,” the KMPDU secretary-general said.

Talks between KMPDU and the Health ministry have been unfruitful as medics accuse the government of non-compliance with the court's directives, intimidation and a refusal to adjust their stance.

Clinical officers on Monday joined doctors in downing their tools, further worsening the medical crisis in Level 2 to Level 5 hospitals nationwide.