Doctors strike still on in January, KMPDU says

Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union(KMPDU) Secretary General Dr. Davji Bhimji Atellah addressing the media from the KMPDU Head office in Nairobi on December 19, 2022. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has warned that a strike scheduled for January 2023 is still on.

This is despite the Ministry of Labour urging the doctors to rescind their decision to allow for negotiations.

Speaking during a press briefing on Monday, KMPDU Secretary General Dr Davji Bhimji Atellah issued a 30-day strike notice over failure by the government to honour a July 2017 collective bargaining agreement.

"We have written letters trying to have actions from National and County governments. By the time we have given notice of intend of industrial action, we have exhausted all the available avenues. An agreement that has been signed by the state has to be honoured," said Bhimji.

Basic salary adjustments, creation of call rooms, posting of medical interns, employment of more doctors and provision of working tools are among the unmet grievances highlighted by the KMPDU.

"We see extreme shortage of doctors, there are no specialists. We have over 5000 doctors who have not been employed," said the doctor's union.

"We wish to state that KMPDU continues to be avaibale for the remainder of this month for engagements with the national and county governments, as per the notice of the SDC, on crafting the way forward in order to better the healthcare situation in the country for all Kenyans," said the union.