Inside return-to-work formula that ended doctors strike

Doctors on Wednesday called off their 56-day strike after the government and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) signed a return-to-work formula.

The agreement came after lengthy meetings on Tuesday between KMPDU and the government through the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Ministry of Health (MoH).

In the agreement with MoH, most of the contentious matters that sustained the strike were addressed save for a few.

On solving outstanding basic salary arrears, the agreement was that it will be settled within the next financial year and KMPDU was instructed to provide a list with doctors with pending salary arrears within 15 days.

The government also agreed to facilitate the settlement of basic salary arrears, through a conditional grant, accrued by County Governments to amounts of Ksh.3.5 billion in line with the 2017 Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA). 

"Salary arrears accrued by doctors under employment by County Governments as of 30th June 2024 shall be settled in five years with effect from 1st July 2024," reads part of the agreement.

It was however notable that one of the main anchor points of the strike, posting and paying intern doctors, was not sufficiently addressed as it was left hanging on a pendulum.

The government said that the matter is a subject of the Labour Relations Court of Kenya at Eldoret and the matter is therefore held in suspension until it is determined.

Despite KMPDU not agreeing to that, they agreed that the parties will commence and conclude negotiations on the issue within 60 days.

They also agreed that KMPDU, within 90 days, conclude CBAs with each of the respective National Teaching and Referral Hospitals in line with constitutional guidelines.

For payment of post-graduate studies, the parties agreed that all registrars shall be on duty as per their clinical programme.

"The rotations shall not in any case exceed an aggregate of 40 hours a week. National government shall immediately settle all the outstanding fees incurred by the government sponsored registrars' postgraduate from 2018," he said.

They also agreed to employ 2,000 additional doctors to realise the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The staffing was agreed to be done for various hospital levels within 90 days.

Also on promoting medical personell, the KMPDU was directed to provide a list of medical doctors, pharmacists and dentists who are due for promotion.

An intergovernmental taskforce was also created to address the perennial challenges that have bedeviled the health sector as well as the outstanding issues arising from the strike.

They also agreed that no employee who participated in the strike will be victimised.

"All unpaid union dues and salaries shall be paid in accordance with the existing contractual obligations," he said.