Relief for patients as doctors end 60-day strike in Machakos.

Machakos County Secretary Muya Ndambuki (right) addresses the press at Machakos Level 5 Hospital. [Erastus Mulwa, Standard]

Machakos residents have breathed a sigh of relief after doctors called off a 60-day strike that had paralyzed healthcare services in all public health institutions.

 In a hurriedly convened presser at Machakos level 5 hospital Friday evening, County Secretary, Muya Ndambuki flanked by the County Health executive, Justus Kasivu confirmed the county government had arrived at a compromise with the doctors’ union to end the impasse.

 The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) and the county government had locked horns for the last two months over a pay-related dispute lodged by doctors medical officers, specialists, pharmacists, dentists and dentists specialists where the grandstanding has led to untold suffering of patients and even deaths.

 But the two warring parties on Friday signed and deposited a return to work agreement with the employment and labour relations court in Milimani, a development that was confirmed by the county secretary, Dr Ndambuki and lower Eastern region’s KMPDU chairperson, Charles Okumu.

 “Today the court in its sitting pronounced itself and directed that doctors resume work immediately. We also agreed to pay them for the days they were not in service. We had in conformity with human resources management practices declined to pay the doctors for the two months they had not served,” Dr Muya said.

 He went on, “But because today the court has unequivocally pronounced itself that we pay these doctors and they also resume work immediately, we are a government that will not want to go sideways as far as obeying court directives is concerned. So we declare that we will pay the doctors for the sixty days because the court has directed not because of pressure from any other point.”

 Governor Wavinya Ndeti had ordered stoppage of salaries of the striking doctors on grounds her government was not going to compensate workers who had refused to offer services to the public.

 Dr Muya’s declaration was swiftly endorsed by the doctors’ union chair, Dr Okumu who confirmed the end of the 60-day strike.

“It is true we have signed a return to work agreement with the county government, which is pegged on paying our members the two months salaries in full. We expect the outstanding monies to reflect in the December pay slips failure to which we will cite specific individuals for contempt of court,” Dr Okumu told The Standard on the phone.

 Health Executive, Justus Kasivu assured Machakos residents that public hospitals will resume normalcy starting Thursday morning, adding that there were sufficient supplies.

 “We will also pursue the performance management system that will trace the individual performance of every doctor to ensure that they attend to their duties as required,” said Kasivu