President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday, December 24 intervened to end the weeks-long doctors’ strike that has paralyzed the health sector.
Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) acting Secretary-General Chibanzi Mwachonda revealed that Uhuru played a key role to end the doctor’s strike.
“Doctors will provide services for you in the facilities and we continue to engage and hope that come January, we shall continue these types of engagements to ensure during the pandemic, all our doctors are assured of safety.
“On that note, I would like to declare that the strike by KMPDUÂ has now been called off, we shall continue further engagements to follow up on all other matters that were raised in the industrial action dated 16th November,” noted Mwachonda.
The meeting to end the healthcare workers strike was attended by Health CS Mutahi Kagwe and Labour CS Simon Chelugui.
Kagwe hailed the dialogue between his Ministry and the healthcare workers adding that an end to the strike is a Christmas gift to Kenyans.
“This is a new way of doing things, coming to the table, and clearing issues. It is a win-win situation, nobody loses in this kind of discussion.
“I’m happy that we have come to this resolution at a critical time, we were hoping to give this gift to Kenyans over Christmas and we have managed to do so,” explained the CS.
Kagwe added that the Ministry is focused on not only averting future strikes by health care workers but also improve healthcare in the country.
The doctors and healthcare workers have been promised standard personal protective equipment (PPE) as they continue to attend to Kenyans during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The doctors have also begun discussions with the government to reinstate the healthcare workers who were sacked during the pandemic.
Nurses and Clinical Officers downed tools Monday, December 7, in protest of the lack of sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for those in the frontline in the war against Covid-19.
