Kenyan doctors have sustained their work boycott across the country as the industrial action entered its seventh day on Wednesday.
The health workers started the boycott on March 14, accusing the government of failing to address their grievances, including a demand to post 4,000 interns to medical facilities.
Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary-General Davji Atellah said that they would not call off the strike until their issues are addressed.
Susan Nakhumicha, cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Health, said Tuesday that the government is working to address the doctors’ demands.
“I applaud our doctors and all health care workers who have continued to deliver services to the people as the Ministry of Health and the relevant stakeholders work together to address the issues raised by their union,” Nakhumicha said in a statement after visiting key public health facilities in Kenya’s capital of Nairobi.
She said citizens could continue to seek treatment in public facilities, assuring them that healthcare workers would be available and ready to serve them.
A meeting scheduled Tuesday between Nakhumicha and the doctors’ union officials did not take place, dashing hopes of resolving the crisis that has left thousands of patients stranded across the East African nation.
“This is the second day I have visited our main public hospital without receiving any help because of the doctors’ strike. The government should resolve the issue,” said Jacob Okumu, a patient in Kisumu, western Kenya, over the phone.
