Thursday, April 4, 2024 – The ongoing doctors’ strike and the subsequent sufferings of patients may persist for some time after the government of President William Ruto admitted that it is in a serious financial crisis.
In a statement yesterday, Ruto, through the Head of Public
Service Felix Koskei, announced that the government was facing a financial
crisis and as such could not honour the salary demands by medical
interns.
Koskei, who was speaking during the official opening of
the inaugural Women in Procurement and Supply Chain Management Conference
in Naivasha, reiterated that the government can only afford to pay Ksh70,000.
The Ksh70,000 sum has been proposed by the Salaries and
Remuneration Commission (SRC) while the interns are demanding Ksh206,000.
Koskei noted that considering tough economic times that have
necessitated austerity measures, the government could not afford to pay the
demanded salary.
While medical interns have been receiving such an amount in
the past, Koskei noted that it had been untenable due to the increasing number
of medical students graduating each year.
Should the medical interns accept the revised sum of Ksh70,000, Koskei noted that they would be posted to different hospitals with
immediate effect.
This comes as Ruto’s government set aside Ksh2.4 billion
which would be used for posting medical students who graduated in the 2023/2024
academic year.
Koskei revealed that should the government cede to the
striking doctor’s demands; this amount would rise exorbitantly to Ksh12 billion
a sum the government could not afford.
The health sector has been thrown into crisis due to a
three-week-long medics’ strike.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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