Crisis in the country’s healthcare system is set to deepen with a looming strike from the medics under the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union as private hospitals warn of stopping services under the new social health insurance fund SHIF.
KMPDU has issued a 30-day strike ultimatum to the Ministry of Health over the intern doctors wage crisis after the Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa vacated an earlier decision to pay the interns KES 206,000.
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah, says the union will not entertain discussions on wage reductions, emphasizing their role in maximizing salaries for doctors.
“The minister was saying that they can’t afford to pay interns this year because of the USAID freeze by U.S President Donald Trump. If Trump is putting the U.S first, the government needs to put Kenyans first,” said the KMPDU boss.
“If the wages are to be reduced or changed, it should not start with intern doctors; it should be for all, and should start with the presidency and the ministers. That’s why we’re saying we will not have any discussion about reducing the wages, we will only have a discussion on when to post the interns and where to post them.”
He accused the government of dishonesty and vowed to take any necessary action, including strikes, to ensure the Collective Bargaining Agreement CBA is upheld.
Meanwhile, nurses from the North Rift region have taken to the streets of Kitale, Thursday, as they demanded for permanent employment from the government.
The healthcare workers, who have been on contract for years, expressed their frustration over job insecurity despite their crucial role in the health sector.
Their protest, which coincided with the third week of their ongoing strike, aimed to push for improved employment terms under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program.
During the demonstrations, the nurses termed it as unfair treatment, accusing the government of converting some healthcare workers to permanent and pensionable terms while leaving others behind.
One of the doctors leading the protest started.
The demonstrators marched to the office of Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, where they submitted their grievances, urging county leaders to escalate their concerns to the Council of Governors.
This as You might no longer seek medical services under social health insurance fund in Private Hospitals from next week over unresolved issues in the healthcare system.
The Rural & Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) has announced it will suspend Social Health Authority (SHA) services starting Monday.
Its chairperson, Dr. Brian Lishenga, has cited delayed payments and system failures, endangering patient care and threatening the survival of health facilities.
RUPHA says this move has been necessitated by the unsettled debts and claims of over KSh30 billion owed to its members by the government and the continued ignorance to iron out existing challenges facing the cover.
Dr. Brian Lishenga, the association’s chairperson, says challenges surrounding the new healthcare system have been ignored, not only endangering the lives of patients but also threatening the survival of health facilities due to a weak service provision.
Further, the association has announced that all 600+ hospitals under its membership will no longer provide care under the medical administrator Medical Administrators Kenya Limited (MAKL), which handles medical schemes for police and teachers in Kenya.