Striking Doctors Face Sacking As Counties Halt Salary Payments
Doctors now face sacking after some counties halted salary payments as nationwide doctor’s strike goes on.
For instance, Nyeri County has halted salary payments for 59 out of 62 doctors still participating in the ongoing nationwide strike.
Nyeri governor Kaihiga issued a directive to dismiss the doctors on Monday, April 9 if they failed to return to work.
“The government is now left with no option but to take action against the striking doctors,” Mutahi Kahiga stated.
Striking Doctors Face Sacking As Counties Halt Salary Payments
“I hereby instruct the Department of County Public Service Management and County Treasury to stop salary payments to the affected doctors.”
Kahiga argued that the county was struggling to deliver medical services to its residents, despite having 139 employers on their payroll.
According to Kaihiga, of the 62 doctors who were issued with letters, only three responded.
Striking Doctors Face Sacking As Counties Halt Salary Payments
The Nyeri County government further blamed the doctors for defying orders, which has posed a great risk to the health of Nyeri County residents and others seeking medical care from outside the area.
Acting in his capacity as the Chairman of the Labour Committee in the Council of Governors (CoG), Kahiga maintained that moving forward, discussions were underway at both the National and the County government levels to resolve the issues in the health sector.
President William Ruto on his end maintained that the country was in no capacity to pay intern doctors as per their wishes, maintaining the stipend will be Ksh70,000 per month for the first year before they are absorbed as full doctors
Striking Doctors Face Sacking As Counties Halt Salary Payments
The doctor’s strike has persisted for over four weeks, as the government’s efforts to reach an agreement proved futile.
