The Ministry of Health ond Doctors have agreed to proceed on negotiations on the matter of the CBA that lapsed.
CS health Susan Nakhumicha while addressing the press said they are looking on how to solve some of the underlying problems.
“As a Ministry we also discussed with the Union on the matters that solidly lapsed in the MOH,” she said explaining that from the matters that the doctors raised, there are those that should be handled by the Ministry and there are those they agreed that the Union move on.
“So on matters that are to be handled by the Ministry, I am happy to report that as a Ministry of Health we have made very good progress, and one of the issues was on the internship programme.
“So we have agreed that they’re going to participate in the review of the internship policy that’s currently ongoing – and chaired by the Acting Director General of Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth – so that we review the policy, and ensure that it’s allied to the Universal Health Coverage and it addresses all the emerging issues that we have heard,” she said.
She said that the Ministry and doctors also agreed to proceed with the negotiations on the matter of the CBA that lapsed.
“The status as it is; is that the Union wrote to the Ministry, and the Ministry had written back with a counter offer, but both parties were yet to sit and discuss,” she said, but pointed out that they have agreed that within this week, the ministry will host a meeting so that the matters that are in the CBA can be addressed and negotiations begin.
“We have also discussed and agreed on the pending arrears for registrars that PS Harry Kimtai is going to take charge and have a discussion with universities so that reconciliation is done of all the outstanding arrears, and equally, we have received commitments from Treasury on availability of resources,” she said.
However, while dismissing the CS’ announcement of a ray of agreements reached, Dr. Atellah called upon doctors working at Kenyatta National Hospital offering minimum services and those working at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, working on the same, to have the matter of strike escalated “so that we can have quicker resolution to it.”
He said in the CBA of 2017-2021, the government owes the doctors’ basic salary arrears of seven years, which several negotiation meetings have failed to unlock over Sh3 billion owed to them.
“We have not seen any commitment to have this paid,” he said, and promised they will shut down KNH and MTRH, noting that over 70 doctors working at KNH have exploitative contracts.
“we want those doctors to be put on the right terms; we have a CBA which SRC has refused to approve for KNH and MTRH and the reason we are going to shut KNH and MTRH to allow SRC to come to their right mind and approve the CBAs,” he said.
