Doctors from Embu County have issued a 21-day strike notice should the county government not honour their demands.
The doctors are lamenting dire staff shortages, demotivated healthcare workers, demeaning contracts and career stagnation.
Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) Davji Atella said that the doctors are being subjected to deplorable working conditions such as inadequate medical equipment and supplies in hospitals.
"We are not going to be in the business of begging for favours from counties. It is high time we took action on Embu County's indifference to doctors' welfare," said Atella.
We will adopt a multi-pronged approach that will include but is not limited to the 21-day strike notice issued today and court litigations."
"We cannot negotiate Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA)s or have career progression guidelines and schemes of services just to gather dust in closets," he added.
"These documents are agreements and procedures intended to support doctors to offer services to the public effectively."
In a follow up, Embu Health County Executive Committee (CEC) Benson Ndwiga said the county would engage the doctors in a bid to avert the strike.
