Principal Secretary of Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni has urged the striking doctors to return to work.
Expressing concern for the suffering of patients due to the lack of access to essential healthcare services, Muthoni emphasized the importance of the doctors resuming their duties.
She also called for the striking doctors to re-engage in negotiations at the negotiation table to address their grievances.
Mary Muthoni, PS for Public Health: Human resources for health are a critical pillar in our health sector, and we cannot do without human resources for health and the quality of care in our health facilities. I am pleading with the health workers that we are in this together;… pic.twitter.com/FRf9pUCyMN
— KBC Channel1 News (@KBCChannel1) April 4, 2024
According to the PS, taking to the streets does not offer a solution to the issues raised by the doctors.
"The government has already released Sh2.4 billion to take care of their issues. It may not be enough as they are saying but why do you stay in the streets instead of coming to the table and telling us the Ksh. 2.4 billion is not enough and we negotiate," Muthoni said.
"How do we speak if you are still in the streets? So I am asking the doctors, please go back to work, do not allow the patients to die in your hands because of your decisions."
Muthoni emphasized that it is unjust for the doctors to distrust the current government based on past failures of previous administrations to fulfill agreements.
Highlighting the inevitability of change in leadership, she urged both parties to return to the negotiating table for the benefit of the Kenyan populace.
Muthoni stressed that it is unacceptable to allow patients to endure suffering due to ongoing issues that have persisted for an extended period.
"As a government, we have an open door policy, we have met you once, twice and if it is not enough let us come back to the table," Muthoni said.
"People change, governments change so don’t mistrust the government of the day, let us come together and reason so that we take care of our patients together."
The doctors have reiterated their stance that they will not resume work until the government addresses all the concerns they have raised.
A primary concern revolves around the equitable placement and fair compensation of medical interns, with the union rejecting the Sh2.4 billion disbursed by the government recently.
According to the Secretary-General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), Davji Atellah, they remain steadfast in their position regarding salary matters.
"The current salary for doctors, including interns, was offered by the government. We were demanding more but gave in to their demand," Atellah said.
On Sunday, President William Ruto urged the striking doctors to return to work and accept the government's proposal regarding the hiring of intern doctors.
Ruto underscored the need for doctors to recognize the financial constraints faced by the country, emphasizing that raising wages beyond available resources is not feasible.
He emphasized the importance of prudent resource management, suggesting that the country must operate within its means rather than resorting to borrowing to meet wage demands.
"We must tell ourselves the truth that the time has come for us to live within our means," Ruto said.
He delivered his remarks at the AIC Church in Eldoret, where he participated in a Sunday service.
