The nationwide doctor’s strike in began on March 12, with at least 4,000 medics demanding higher salaries as part of a better working conditions and the employment of intern doctors. Five weeks later, there is no sign of a compromise as the government claims it can not afford the wage increment. DW has put together a timeline of the strike with the highlights.
Week 1: Demand for higher wages
Led by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), the doctors lay out their demands. Some of those demands include a salary increment of up to Kshs 206,000 ($1,546, €1,451) per month for the 1,210 intern doctors, medical doctors, pharmacists and dentists.
They also call on ‘s government to fulfill the 2017 promise to increase their salaries, but the government rejects the demand and makes a counteroffer, which is also rejected by the doctors’ union.
Week 2: Health sector paralysis
In its second week, the strike causes widespread disruptions in healthcare services. Medical professionals have been absent from their posts, hospitals, and clinics, leaving many patients unattended and desperately scraping for medical assistance.
A 12-year-old boy taken to the hospital by his mother due to a broken leg is turned away from a hospital in Kakamega county in Western Kenya because there were no doctors to assist.
Another patient affected by the ongoing doctors’ strike tells our DW correspondent, Thelma Mwadzaya, that he needs Kshs 500,000 for an urgent spinal surgery.
Week 3: First casualty as doctors dig in
Kenyan doctors stop offering emergency medical services at public hospitals as the strike enters its third week.
According to local media reports, a young man in his 20s dies from what first seemed like a toothache but advanced to a blood infection and malaria after he had been moved between hospitals, seeking medical attention to no avail.
Many patients turn to private clinics, which are costlier than public hospitals, to get medical attention.
Week 4: Catholic bishops urge government to address strike
Kenyan Catholic bishops under the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) call on President Ruto to “speedily” resolve the concerns of the striking doctors.
Meanwhile, Kenyatta Hospital, the country’s largest referral hospital lays off 100 of its striking doctors and says it has hired new ones to replace those sacked.
Week 5: President Ruto lashes out at those supporting the strike
President William Ruto expresses dismay at leaders who have endorsed the strike: “If you support them [the doctors], pay the money they are asking for,” the president says.
Ruto insists that the government’s offer is final, a position the medical fraternity firmly rejects. A Kenyan court gives the government and the medical union 48 hours to agree on a deal.
Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu
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