Kenyan healthcare workers have issued a strike notice over delayed salary payments and statutory deductions.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) issued the notice after its members reported continued delays in receiving their salaries and statutory deductions, which affect their standard of living, motivation, and productivity.
“We find it preposterous that government employees, especially those that provide essential services in the health sector, are continuously inundated with notifications of delayed salary payments and statutory deductions,” said KMPDU boss Davji Bhimji. “Healthcare is a public good and an essential service. Unfortunately, the essential service providers cannot access their pay like other public servants managed by the National Government. It is damning to say the least that our members cannot afford the same services they offer.”
Bhimji went on to say that healthcare workers in counties that have not paid salaries and statutory deductions within seven days should not be expected to report for duty. He called for urgent action to address the issue and improve the country’s healthcare system.
“It is only through this, and various other recommendations made by the union to the national government in the recent past, that we – as a country will be able to fix healthcare and make it work for all Kenyans,” he added.
The strike notice comes amid ongoing concerns about the state of healthcare in Kenya, with healthcare workers struggling with low pay, poor working conditions, and limited resources. The KMPDU has been calling for improved working conditions and better pay for healthcare workers, as well as greater investment in the healthcare system, for some time.
The government has yet to respond to the strike notice, but healthcare workers are urging for swift action to address the issue before it escalates. They are hoping that their actions will help to bring about much-needed changes to the healthcare system in Kenya and improve the lives of healthcare workers and patients alike
