Kenya’s Health Ministry Set To Post 1,210 Medical Interns On August
The Ministry of Health has announced that all 1,210 medical interns will report for work on August 1.
However, the ministry declined to comment on the remaining 2,550 interns from other health cadres who have yet to be posted.
The ministry has also not paid clinical officer interns who were assigned in April.
Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni announced on Wednesday that they had signed an agreement with the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists’ Union for the medical interns to begin their internships on August 1.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND KMPDU SIGN ADDENDUM TO RETURN-TO-WORK FORMULA pic.twitter.com/3TxuT2zK2n
— Ministry of Health (@MOH_Kenya) July 17, 2024
“This crucial agreement confirms the immediate posting of 1,210 intern doctors, enabling them to start their internships by August 1, 2024,” Muthoni said.
Following the signing, the ministry revoked the internship offer letters dated March 18, 2024.
The intern doctors will now proceed under the conditions specified in their new internship placement letters.
“The terms of engagement for these intern doctors will follow the conditions set out in their placement letters,” said Dr Davji Atellah, the KMPDU secretary general
The issue of remuneration, which has been contentious, will be resolved based on the final decision of the Eldoret Employment and Labour Relations Court Petition E003 of 2024 and related cases.
The PS assured, “All arrears earned before the court’s decision will be paid in full within 90 days of the ruling.”
Recognizing the ongoing court proceedings, the ministry and KMPDU emphasized their determination to resolve the issues.
“The ministry and KMPDU acknowledge the ongoing matters in the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Eldoret and Nairobi,” Atellah said.
Medical interns protested at Afya House on Monday, July 8, to express their dissatisfaction with the delayed official posting.
They continued to protest for four days, sleeping at the MoH main gate on some nights, until Thursday, July 1, when they called the protest off in what they described as a gesture of goodwill.
Former Health CS Susan Nakhumicha stated that delays in intern deployment affected all health cadres, not just medical trainees.
“As of today, the total number of interns awaiting posting across [all] the cadres is 3,760, for a total budget of Sh4.8 billion. Because of the budget ceiling, the ministry received an allocation of Sh3.7 billion in the financial year 2024/2025 for internship,” Nakhumicha said.
On July 11, Nakhumicha stated that it was impractical to pay interns the monthly Sh206,400 they demanded because the cost of the internship had steadily exceeded the available funds. She stated that other public service interns earn Sh25,000 per month.
The government cited financial constraints and proposed a monthly stipend of Sh70,000, as recommended by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, while the union advocated for the 2017 collective bargaining agreement rate of Sh206,400 per month.
According to the CS, the number of public and private educational facilities that train medical professionals has increased “exponentially” over the last 20 years.
She stated that since January of last year, the ministry has posted 4,156 interns across six medical cadres, including 1,735 doctors. This has cost the government Sh4.2 billion.
Kenya’s Health Ministry Set To Post 1,210 Medical Interns On August
