On Wednesday, Kenya’s public hospital doctors union reached a return-to-work agreement with the government, bringing an end to a national strike that commenced in mid-March and had left patients uncertain of their care.
The union’s secretary general, Davji Atellah, expressed the doctors’ trust in the government’s commitment to resolving labor issues such as inadequate compensation and poor working conditions, which had triggered the strike.
A labor court ruling on Tuesday had mandated doctors and the government to finalize a return-to-work agreement within 48 hours, failing which the court would intervene.
Kenya’s Health Minister Susan Nakhumicha acknowledged the doctors’ effective negotiation skills, contrasting them with the government’s stance, noting that the doctors had put up a formidable resistance.
The resolution of the strike brings relief to millions of Kenyans reliant on public hospitals, which had been severely impacted by the strike.
Some hospitals had resorted to hiring temporary doctors to maintain emergency services during the strike.
In 2017, Kenya witnessed its longest-ever doctors’ strike lasting 100 days, during which doctors demanded improved wages and the restoration of dilapidated public-health facilities.
Kenya is currently grappling with the devastating repercussions of flooding, affecting 235,000 people since the onset of the rainy season in mid-March.