Kenya: Doctors in Go Slow Over Poor Working Conditions

By Eric Sande

Nairobi---Nairobi’s ‘Freedom Corner’ showed a rare spectacle, on Wednesday October 6 morning when doctors from public hospitals in Nairobi took to the streets to protest poor working conditions.

Dr. Kariuki Muhoro of Mbagathi hospital said, “we work much longer than other civil servants in the same  job group and yet our salaries remain the same.”

The doctors deal with patients with very infectious diseases  but their risk allowances  are peanuts  at just USD 7.72895,  with their medical allowance being  USD 19.32238  stated Dr. Mati Muthuri .

The doctors also accused the government of treading on their career by withdrawing the masters scholarship degree that they have always been guaranteed to pursue . They have responded  by a demand of a 600 per cent pay hike otherwise they will take a go slow in attending to patients in hospital s and focus only on the emergency cases.

“We are just going to attend to only emergency cases”, said Mati.

Their report comes in the wake of a series of reported malpractices, including   black-outs in hospitals hindering their abilities to undertake careful procedures. They have since insisted that they will continue with their go slow until their demands are met.