Doctors at MTRH in Eldoret have issued a 14-day strike notice over violation of agreement and poor working conditions. Photo: Courtesy.
Patients in Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret Uasin Gishu County are glaring at a looming crisis; after doctors stationed in the hospital issued a 14-day strike formal notice, following violation of agreement amidst poor working conditions.
On Wednesday through the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah, announced a strike notice citing persistent employer aggressiveness and failure to honour a return-to-work formula signed on February 19, 2025.
Atellah lamenting over what he termed as systematic disregard for workers’ welfare, disclosing that doctors based at MTRH currently are not entitled to any medical cover, failure to receive basic salary arrears, continued employment of doctors on contract terms, with no transition to permanent and pensionable employed constant promises.
“We have received communication; messages, calls and emails from our members here loudly expressing their desperation, disillusionment and despair on the very core matter of personal healthcare access and decent working conditions. It is ironical to issue services you cannot access when in need. Doctors have no medical insurance. The discrimination regarding . the unimplemented basic salary arrears cannot be further ignored,” Atellah said.
KMPDU converged physically with its members to chart the way forward, where they agreed to down their tools. The Union tabling four key demands; implementation of the Return-To-Work Formula, provision of a comprehensive medical cover, immediate payment of salary arrears; and employment of doctors on contract to permanent and pensionable terms.
He expressed the National team commitment to ensuring no doctor is left behind, and that it will use available mechanisms to sort the issues raised by members.
“Agreements must be honoured and respected, RTWF must be implemented and justice must always prevail. Justice, fairness and dignity demand our collective action; in the boardrooms; on the streets and in the media. Most importantly, we need a common voice and common action directed at the belligerent employer,” Atella asserted.
The hospital in 2024-2025 has experienced a series of strike, patients left in agony from different areas of North Rift, with grievances recurring year in year out.
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