Bleak future for healthcare as striking doctors reject intern pay proposal

Doctors have rejected two proposals from the government that would see medical interns earn a monthly stipend of between Ksh.27,000 and Ksh.70,000.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentist Union (KMPDU) rejected the proposals noting that it would exploit the interns who account for thirty percent of the workload in healthcare.

The doctors who are currently on strike criticised the government after proposing deduction of medical interns’ salary as talks between the government and the doctors fails to bear fruits.

KMPDU Deputy Secretary General Dennis Miskellah strongly notes that interns are not just students rather workers who account for thirty per cent of the healthcare workers. He ascertained the union will not respect or entertain the proposal from the government.

“If you check an intern’s log book, you will be amazed by the amount of work they handle, they do everything. When Susan says interns earn a lot and request a review of intern’s salary without involving us or the commission marks hypocrisy and malice,” he said.

A document by the Ministry of Health and the Salaries Remuneration Commission (SRC) shows that a medical intern is the lowest cadre. The lowest earner will get a stipend of Ksh.27,000, while the highest will go home with Ksh.70,000.

Contrary to the Ministry of Health claim that it now needs Sh4.9 billion to be able to implement its annual internship programme. The union leader noted that the numbers are rather sustainable.

“We were given slot for 2000 medical interns and we only need 1.4 billion to pay the interns in the current CBA rate.  The internship policy and the CBA is locked, we are not going to be frustrated into revising the progress on the CBA backwards,’ he said.

He claimed the move to tighten the belt on intern stipends is majorly influenced by some senior people in government who have personal interest in healthcare.

“Interns’ salary was secured in the collective bargaining agreement in 2017 where it was the most controversial issue. We will go on with the strike until these issues are resolved,” he said.

“We have shut down operations in major hospitals, to extend an olive branch, we had given an offer for minimum services which is currently withdrawn. If you show us that you do not need us then why should we be at work, why should do minimum service when the people who are supposed to help us, you have refused to post, when they are not practising patients suffers and they system breaks,” Miskellah said on the ongoing strike.

In the stipend adjustments, the SRC proposes that a Dental Officer Intern goes home with between Ksh.47,000 and Ksh.70,000, while a degree holder Nursing Officer Intern earns from Ksh.35,000 to Ksh.50,000.

MoH said the demand by the Union to post and pay the interns at Ksh.206,000 per month was untenable since the ministry lacked the resources to foot the bill.