CLERGY MEETS STRIKING PHYSICIANS TO MEDIATE TALKS WITH THE GOVERNMENT

Today, The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers, and Kenya Union of Clinical Officers to meet with the clergy

To put an end to the doctors' strike, the clergy, led by Catholic Bishop Anthony Muheria and Anglican Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit, recently requested that the government cease threatening the striking doctors and instead hold productive talks with them.

“The situation is deplorable and we continue witnessing the misery of the sick,” the priests said, expressing optimism that dialogue may resolve the impasse between the administration and the doctors. The ongoing deadlock is to blame for numerous deaths and declining medical conditions.

Church officials stated that a great deal of pain is being experienced by Kenyans as a result of their inability to receive care at government hospitals and that the government has to act quickly to break the impasse in the health sector.

The religious leader stated, "Our health provision is in the hands of the medical fraternity; we ask both parties to seek dialogue and settle the matter once and for all." They also requested that both sets of officials immediately attend to the doctors' valid concerns.

As the government and doctors maintain their tough stance on negotiations, the one-month-long doctors' strike appears to have no end in sight.

At least 4,000 medical professionals in Kenya went on strike on March 12 in support of improved working conditions, the hiring of intern physicians, and increased pay as stipulated in the 2017 collective bargaining agreement. Five weeks later, there's still no evidence of a deal, with the government claiming it can't provide the money.

Widespread interruptions in healthcare services have been brought on by the strike. Many patients were left untreated and in severe need of medical attention when medical personnel were absent from their positions, hospitals, and clinics.