- Critics argue that doctors play a vital role in society and that job security is crucial to ensuring quality healthcare services. They emphasize the importance of addressing doctors' concerns.
Amid an ongoing doctors' strike in Kenya, Senator Danson Mungatana of Tana River County has urged doctors to adapt to the changing job market rather than relying solely on guaranteed government employment.
Mungatana's remarks come as doctors continue their strike, demanding improved working conditions and job security.
Senator Mungatana expressed his perspective: "There was a time we were guaranteed jobs, and then things changed. For doctors, it has remained that they are strictly absorbed. If other professions are not guaranteed jobs, the medical field must accept that things are changing and join the hustle. Nobody is going to force the government to employ them."
Critics argue that doctors play a vital role in society and that job security is crucial to ensuring quality healthcare services. They emphasize the importance of addressing doctors' concerns.
President William Ruto called for an end to the strike, urging doctors to return to work and accept the government's offer. Meanwhile, the Council of Governors (CoG), chaired by Anne Waiguru, raised objections to the format of talks to resolve the strike.
Read More
The CoG has also declined to increase doctors' salaries, asserting that they are already the highest-paid professionals in the counties.
The strike began on March 14 and has caused significant disruptions in healthcare services nationwide.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) initiated the strike, demanding various reforms, including improved working conditions, the posting of interns, payment of postgraduate training fees, contract extensions for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff, clearance of salary arrears, and comprehensive medical insurance coverage.
