Economy

Medics say govt officials were not available for meeting

Striking medics this morning walked out of a planned meeting with Ministry of Health (MoH) officials, saying they sat in an empty board room awaiting the government representatives for hours.

According to Dr Ouma Oluga, the Secretary General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPPDU), the health workers had been waiting at Afya House since 8 a.m. although the MoH officials didn't show up.

Dr Oluga also maintains that the union will not call off the strike until the State implements the comprehensive bargaining agreement (CBA) and pays in arrears for the three years since it was signed.

He also said they are not holding talks together with nurses since they are fronting different issues, saying nurses want a harmonised CBA package while doctors want the 300 per cent pay rise.

The medical workers' strike has paralysed delivery of health services in public hospitals nationwide.

Consequently, many patients have had to resort to seeking treatment form private hospitals.

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Relatives attend to patients in a ward at Kilifi County Hospital as a strike by health workers entered its second day on December 6, 2016. PHOTO | SAMUEL KAZUNGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP