Nakhumicha says medical interns to be posted April 1 as doctors maintain strike on

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha on Monday said her ministry will begin posting medical interns on April 1,2024 after a meeting with representatives from the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU).

Posting of the student medics has been the bone of contention between the doctors' union and the health ministry, leading to a health worker’s strike that began last week and entered its fifth day on Monday.

The health minister said they had reached an agreement with KMPDU and that the National Treasury had given the green light on the matter.

“I’m happy to report that we have made progress as a ministry… We have briefed the union and agreed that we have received confirmation from the Treasury; beginning April 1, we are going to be posting interns,” Nakhumicha told a press conference.

On the ministry’s non-adherence to doctors’ 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), Nakhumicha said they will continue negotiations this week and that all pending dues will be cleared per the court’s directives.

“Regarding the CBA that has lapsed, we have agreed that the ministry will continue with negotiations. Within this week, the ministry will call for a meeting,” she said.

But KMPDU officials dismissed talk of a fruitful discussion, saying the strike is still on.

The union’s Secretary-General Davji Atellah separately addressed the media shortly after the meeting, where he accused the ministry of making similar announcements before without implementing them.

“There's understanding that issues are pending on interns, we have had promises they'd be posted in February, March and now in April.  Nothing has been implemented,” he said.

KMPDU national chair Abidan Mwachi added: “Our strike is still on and we are in this for a very long time.”