Key Takeaways
- Kenyan doctors launched a nationwide strike due to the government’s failure to address their grievances, including promotions and hiring medical interns.
- The strike has paralyzed medical services in several counties in Kenya, affecting patients and the healthcare system.
- The Kenyan Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has called for industrial action after talks with the government failed.
Nairobi: Kenyan doctors started a nationwide strike on Thursday, citing the government’s failure to address their demands for promotions and the hiring of over 4,000 medical interns. These grievances have led to the strike, affecting medical services across the country.
The strike has paralyzed medical services in hospitals across the East African nation as patients were left unattended.
Areas affected by the strike include Nakuru, Kwale, Kilifi, Migori and Mombasa counties.
Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary-General Davji Atellah said they resorted to industrial action after talks with the government failed. “Our seven-day strike notice shall expire and our industrial action will begin,” he stated Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the Employment and Labor Relations Court stopped the strike and asked the involved parties to engage in dialogue to address the grievances.
“We are suffering, I have been here for many hours and there are no doctors. The government should resolve the crisis faster,” said Peter Njiru, a patient from Nakuru, 160 km to the northwest of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
