President Uhuru Kenyatta declines to meet demands of striking medics

 

President Uhuru Kenyatta delivers new year message in Mombasa.(Photo:Courtesy)

The Government has maintained a hardline stance on demands by striking health workers.

In his end of year speech, President Uhuru Kenyatta dashed any hopes of a peaceful resolution of the current standoff with the medics, indicating that the Government was not stable enough financially to meet their demands.

The President insisted that since the strike commenced on December 5, 2016, the Government had been burning the midnight oil to find a solution.

But he reiterated that the Government had to contend with the overall wage bill when making a decision on what to pay.

“I have seen the suffering of patients as doctors go on strike,” said Uhuru. “But there are limits to what the Government can manage and still be a responsible manager of the people’s finances.”

Doctors are demanding a 300 per cent pay rise, which is in their signed but yet-to-be-registered Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

“While we have made strong investments in health and maternal health, too many Kenyans are still dying from preventable and treatable diseases,” said the President.

And despite the Government offering medics a 50 per cent pay rise, the doctors, through the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), have maintained that they will not accept anything less than the CBA that will cost the taxpayer Sh8 billion

KMPDU Secretary General Ouma Oluga (pictured) said: “We trust the President to have the best interests of the country and of doctors at heart.”

After talks to have the doctors’ return-to-work formula collapsed, both counties and the Ministry of Health had maintained a hands-off attitude, leaving the doctors to fight in court.

Attempts to get comments on the matter from the ministry and the President were futile.

According to the October 6, 2016, Industrial Court ruling, doctors, county and national governments were given 90 days to iron out the contentious issues in the CBA before it could be registered in court.

This means if an agreement is not reached on or before January 5, the CBA will cease to be valid.

A CBA usually expires after two years but doctors have kept it valid since 2013 through the courts.

The courts have declared the strike illegal and 45 counties have advertised for 405 medical officers, dentists and pharmacists in an attempt to replace those taking part in the industrial action.

There are also unconfirmed reports that doctors will be replaced by personnel from Cuba and India but the Government has remained tight-lipped on the matter.