President Uhuru's directive to pay doctors timely, now honour agreement

President Uhuru Kenyatta instructs governors to pay doctors. (Photo: Courtesy)

President Uhuru Kenyatta has instructed governors to pay doctors for the 100 days that they had withdrawn their labour following a pay dispute.

The possibility of doctors going on strike again one month after calling off a nationwide strike that lasted 100 days from December4, 2016 was looming large.

In that period, there was untold suffering among low-income patients who could not afford services at private clinics. In the process, some who only required basic medical attention to live another day are not with us today.

Initially, both levels of government had stood their ground with governors, especially, stating they would not pay doctors for the period in which they had not worked. The President’s change of heart is welcome, more so because now doctors can concentrate on their core job.

Finally, doctors may have had their way, but it will take a very long time to heal the wounds caused by their strike. A lot is expected of them and the Government would do well to honour its end of the bargain in the return-to-work formula that ended the strike. Circumstances that led to the strike must be avoided at all costs.

Welcoming the President’s directive, the doctors thanked him for his ‘goodwill, tolerance and understanding’, the very attributes they failed to exhibit despite entreaties from the public and in complete disregard of the Hippocratic Oath.

Unlike other functions, Health is not fully devolved. This by itself has allowed room for buck passing whenever disputes arise. There is a level of acrimony between the national and county governments over the administration and budgets for health.

These issues need to be sorted out amicably to allow for the seamless running of this critical docket. While on strike, doctors argued it was not just about pay, but a non-conducive working environment as well. This area also needs greater attention.