Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has resumed talks with the Ministry of Health.
According to the Union, the discussions which are underway are on several outstanding issues namely delayed intern postings, the implementation of a return-to-work formula and the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary (PS) Mary Muriuki on X reposted a tweet by the union with photos of the attendees led by KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah among others.
ONGOING 🌱 Discussions on the delayed Intern Postings and Return To Work Formula: #KMPDU Leaders Engage with the Ministry of Health Regarding the Prospects of Implementing the Collective Bargaining Agreement #InternPostings#CBA2017 #MoH pic.twitter.com/7WmERxESH4
— KMPDU (@kmpdu) July 17, 2024
The government is yet to honour an agreement made in the May 8th return-to-work formula including the deployment of 1,210 interns.
Before the cabinet was dissolved, immediate former Health CS Susan Nakhumicha had said with the allocated funds, the Ministry was only able to post at least 552 interns immediately.
The agitated medical interns last week camped at Afya House expressing frustrations over years of waiting for their official posting after completion of their studies.
They further threatened to resume a day sit-in and night vigil as from Monday, July 15, 2024, this week.
“We proposed that the posting of the next cohort be done by mid-June even as we continue to find mutually agreeable Terms of Service both in and out of court,” said KMPDU in a statement.
The internship is mandatory for them to be able to be licensed to operate as doctors.
Other contentious matters included promotions which the ministry assured would be availed to those deserving and also create staffing policies that would see 2,000 doctors being hired annually.
The Ministry had agreed to fully implement the 2017 CBA before a new CBA negotiation is commenced and in turn, have the county governments follow suit.
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