The Ministry of Health has instructed medical, dental, and pharmacy interns to report to their internship centres within a short time frame of less than five days. This delay in posting was cited as the primary cause of a recent doctors’ strike.
Among the interns, there are 72 dentists, 849 medical officers, and 289 pharmacists. The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council has additionally provided them with internship licenses necessary for their practical training.
Mary Muthoni, the Public Health Principal Secretary, stated that the posting letters have been sent via email to the interns, eliminating the need for them to physically collect the letters from Afya House, a suggestion previously advised against by the union.
The council said failure to complete the internship leads to an extension of the internship period, or discontinuation from the programme.The interns can also be disciplined by the council or by the courts for misconduct.
Medical interns complete a rotational of about three months each in the five main disciplines including internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics and child health, obstetrics and gynaecology and psychiatry and community health.
The primary cause of the doctors’ strike on March 14 last month was attributed to the delayed posting. Subsequently, they included demands concerning their 2017 collective Bargaining Agreement.
In a recent announcement, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei revealed that the government had allocated KES 2.4 billion to promptly deploy and assign the 2023/24 cohort of medical and dental student interns.
This resolution, he said, was arrived at during two conciliatory meetings held on March 21 and subsequently on March 27 as ordered by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
Koskei explained that among the issues raised, six are within the jurisdiction of the national government, nine pertain to the responsibilities of the county governments, and four are shared responsibilities between both levels of government.
Furthermore, Koskei stated that in addition to the deployment of medical interns, the national government will address outstanding basic salary arrears resulting from the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Additionally, the national government will offer grants and scholarships to eligible postgraduate medical officers.
Koskei, who chairs the Whole of the Nation Approach Committee, said the court sanctioned conciliation talks will continue to seek solutions to issues that informed formation of the dialogue team.
He said this includes conclusion of a memorandum of understanding on the minimum safety services doctors should provide in case of a protected strike.
He also assured the commitment of all actors to the conciliation process saying both levels of government, state agencies and stakeholders remain committed towards constructive dialogue, addressing concerns and ensuring the health and well-being of all Kenyans.
