Government is now proposing changes that will see medical interns retain their monthly stipends.
After late night deliberations on Thursday, March 21, senior government officials proposed changing the title ‘medical interns’ to ‘junior doctors’.
Stakeholders present in the meeting held at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) include; Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, cabinet secretaries Susan Nakhumicha (Health) and Moses Kuria (Public Service), as well as government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura among others.
“We want to harmonise payment of interns and look into whether interns have qualified. The title intern may not be appropriate if they qualify and working. We would like them to change the title intern into junior doctor,” read part of their statement.
Consequently, interns will be vetted to become junior doctors who will be earning stipends recently published by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) Chair Lyn Mengich.
“Remember we have already agreed to change the tittle so as to retain the salary they are earning now,” added the statement.
In Mengich’s letter, medical officer interns, pharmacists and dentists on internship will be earning a minimum of KSh47,000 monthly and a maximum of KSh70,000.
On the highly contended Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), government called for more sittings with the health care unions to reach a middle ground on its implementation.
The officials emphasised that they remain open to talks, and urged doctors to resume work today (Friday, March 22).
However, Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists’ Unions (KMPDU) Sec Gen Dr Davji Atellah insisted that their strike will continue as government failed to touch on any of their 19 issues laid down.
Among them is the employment of more doctors, which has not happened in the last seven years, as Dr Atellah explained.
A committee of 13 members will reportedly be formed to deliberate on matters raised by medics in efforts to resolve the impasse.
This comes a day after Health cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha threatened to fire doctors who were on strike. She argued that it is unfair to let patients die as doctors take to the streets.
