KMPDU maintains doctors’ strike still on despite court orders

The nationwide doctors’ strike entered its second day on Friday with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) maintaining that it was still on and saying union officials were available for talks with the Ministry of Health to find a solution that will see normal operations in health facilities resume.

This even as the Employment and Labour Relations Court Judge Byram Ongaya on Friday morning extended orders suspending the doctors strike to pave way for negotiations.

KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah, in a presser on Friday, said: “We want to reinforce that we are available for discussions today, tomorrow or Monday because we know we offer essential services.”

Judge Ongaya in his ruling delivered virtually ordered the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei to involve the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), Labour and Finance Cabinet Secretaries, all 47 county governments and all national referral hospitals in striking a deal with doctors.

The Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) had filed a petition in court seeking to bar its doctors from taking part in the strike; the matter will be mentioned on March 20, 2024.

Dr. Atellah, however, added: “We urge our members to continue with the strike until we come to an agreement...”

In Turkana County, KMPDU officials took to the streets to mark the second day of the strike.

According to Fatuma Rajab; “We have one doctor covering the whole sub-county, and in case there is a referral, there is no proper referral system…”

At the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital, normal operations resumed during the second day of the nationwide strike.

The ongoing strike is aimed at compelling the government to post medical interns, remit payment for doctors taking post graduate studies and implement the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on salary increment.