Doctors have started reporting to work in Nairobi hospitals, even as the county gives ultimatum to the striking medics. Health executive Bernard Muia said 10 doctors resumed work in the county’s three level four hospitals on Friday.
Six reported to Pumwani Maternity Hospital, two in Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital and two at Mbagathi District Hospital. Muia said the county will this week start sacking doctors who will not have resumed work by today. Some 124 doctors in Nairobi have been taking part in the nationwide strike, which started on December 5.
“We have no time to waste. We have been patient with them and Nairobians have suffered enough,” Muia said.
“Many doctors want to work in Nairobi. We will sack them and invite others to apply. We will vet them to ensure we don’t bring problems again.”
In January, the county issued show-cause letters to the medics and withheld their salaries for participating in the “illegal” strike. Muia said some of the doctors who resumed work complained to him that they were being threatened by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union officials.
“Some of them came to my office and told me they were being threatened. But I want to assure them we shall provide security for anybody who will be willing to come back before we sack them. So they should not fear,”he said.
Many counties have threatened to fire medics starting this week and hire others from neighbouring countries and abroad.
On Tuesday last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Council of Governors stopped any negotiations with the doctors and ordered them to resume work immediately or be sacked.
A day later, the union officials urged the government to give negotiations, that were being spearheaded by religious leaders, one more chance to iron out a “ few issues” that remained and sign a return-to-work agreement.
They said most of the issues in the collective bargaining agreement had been agreed on and only the signing of the return-to-work agreement remained. But the President and the governors maintained there will be no further negotiations and asked the medics to take the 40 per cent pay increase that government offered them.