Jared Nyataya | NATION Dr Elias Onditi, second (right), the Kenya Medical Association’s Eldoret branch chairman, and officials from the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Union from Eldoret branch during the doctors’ strike for North Rift Region on December 08, 2011.
Doctors in Kenya on Monday evening called off their strike that has paralysed operations across the country.
Public Service minister Dalmas Otieno had earlier in the day been directed to lead talks in finding a lasting solution.
President Kibaki issued the directive on Monday in his official address on Jamhuri Day.
He asked Mr Otieno to work with “all those involved” in finding a solution to the one-week-old strike.
“We need doctors in the hospitals to attend to the many Kenyans needing medical attention on daily basis. I direct the Minister for Public Service and all those involve in finding,” said President Kibaki.
Strikes are handled by the Labour ministry, the workers’ unions involved and the Judiciary, whose industrial division would also handle related court cases.
Mr Otieno has been working in hotels of Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o in trying to negotiate an end to the strike.
The doctors had also protested against the government’s efforts to have the Industrial Court handle the matter.
The Government is relying on the Labour Relations Act, which “is specific that medical practitioners cannot picket.”
President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga urged the striking doctors and pharmacists to return to work pending the negotiations.
Mr Odinga asked the doctors to sit at the negotiating table and “talk as Kenyans”, an allusion for them to consider the current economic circumstances.
The government’s justification for the hard stance has been that with the current military operation against Al -Shabaab in Somalia, there is little money in its coffers to increase salaries.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Union got the support of the Kenya Medical Association, which said last week the demands were in line with what the Government could afford.
The union complained that while the doctors and pharmacists are poorly paid, the government had not made efforts to invest in equipment and infrastructure in hospitals.
Public hospitals have been depending on trainees, nurses, interns and consultant-specialist doctors to manage the crisis since the strike began.
But the consultants, who are also members of the union, have announced they would also join the strike and withdraw their services.
The union had rejected the latest offer of Sh7.1 billion for the increased pay.
The doctors reduced their demands from 13 to four, which include an in increase in their extraneous allowance to Sh100,000 from the current Sh30,000.
By NATION REPORTER