Koskei Says Govt Cannot Pay Intern Doctors More Despite Release Of Ksh2.4B

Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has admitted that the government was going through financial troubles and as such, is unable to meet the salary demands of medical interns.

Koskei who was speaking during the official opening of the inaugural Women in Procurement and Supply Chain Management Conference in Naivasha, admitted that the government cannot raise the Ksh12 billion required to pay the salaries of more than 1,200 intern doctors.

He reiterated that the government can only afford to pay interns Ksh70,000, against the demand by interns to be paid Ksh206,000 per month, the former sum proposed by the Salaries and Remunerations Commission (SRC).

“We engaged the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) which has proposed Ksh70,000 per month for the interns and the government is ready to pay this,” he told the press.

While medical interns have been receiving such an amount in the past, Koskei argued that this would not be possible this time round owing to the number of graduating medics on the rise, which has seen the government reconsider the salary demand which had risen from Ksh4 billion to Ksh12 billion.

However, should the medical interns accept the proposed sum of Ksh70,000, they would be posted across different hospitals with immediate effect.

“We should focus on the internship of these medical students who will in future earn whatever they want once they are through with their learning,” he added.

The government secured Ksh2.4 billion to facilitate the immediate deployment and posting of the 2023/24 cohort of medical student interns.

It also facilitated the Payment of Basic Salary Arrears accrued by the National Government/Entities arising from the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Koskei stated on Tuesday night that the national government will also provide grants and scholarships for eligible postgraduate medical officers.

He went on to call for an end to the ongoing countrywide strike by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) in compliance with a stay order by the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC).

KMPDU, which has over 7,000 members, went on strike on March 15, 2024, for three weeks running, to demand salary arrears and the immediate hiring of trainee doctors.