The doctors' strike that has lasted 56 days since 13, March 2024 has finally been called off.
This comes after the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) signed a return-to-work formula with the government on Wednesday.
With the agreement signed, doctors are expected to return to work immediately.
KPMDU Secretary General Davji Bhimji Atella said the doctors would return to work immediately although listening to the government's promises for the very last time.
"The strike that began on 13, March 2024 has been called off," Atellah declared.
Read More
According to Atellah, KMPDU relaxed their terms after the government side insisted that it was a different administration and different office bearers and therefore should be given the opportunity to perform.
"We have decided that despite having said and stated that we do not go home with promissory notes, we have decided to take the promise for the very last time," Atella emphatically stated.
"As we take this I must say, that one of the fundamental issues that is the matter of doctor interns is still pending."
Health CS Susan Nahumicha who has been on the receiving end of the turmoil termed the negotiations as tough and protracted as she appreciated the doctors for their negotiation capabilities.
"Last night we all found a place in our hearts to agree," Nkhumicha stated.
"This agreement would not have come at a better time and without the commitment of the stakeholders involved.
Nakhumicha acknowledged that the strike had caused anxiety and pain in the members of the public especially when the government was accelerating the Universal Health Coverage.
The doctors' strike indeed left many Kenyans especially those sick or the ones with patients hanging in the balance and were only left in the mercies of private hospitals that are only affordably to a handful.
Kenyans can now breathe a sigh of relief but would wish to be certain that such strikes would not recur.
