Why doctors rejected Kisumu County promotion offer

Kisumu County Executive Member for Health Judith Atyang' while addressing the press in Kisumu on December 23, 2019. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

Striking doctors in Kisumu County have dared the county government to sack them, as they explained why they have rejected promotion letters issued by the administration for them to resume duty.

Even after Governor Anyang’ Nyongo threatened to sack them if they continued to abscond duty by close of business on Monday, the medics remained unbowed, maintaining that they would not give in to any threats by their employer.

The issue of promotions has been one of the key concerns raised by the medics, who said a lack of resolution on it was among the reasons for their prolonged strike that has now entered its third week.

Although the county government maintained they had addressed the issue and asked the doctors to pick their promotion letters, the doctors union, in a statement, signed by their Nyanza branch chairman Kevin Osuri remain adamant.

“The country government had drawn letters to wrong and illegal job groups, placing doctors in much junior job groups with an unacceptable losses of career years,” said the medics in the letter.

Failure by the county government to reach an agreement with striking doctors now means local residents will have to wait even longer to start getting treatment at public health facilities.

“The county government should not punish the doctors and its loving citizens any further by implementing the agreements it signed with the doctors union to get the doctors back to work immediately,” Osuri stated.

The county government has however upheld its threat, insisting doctors who did not resume duty as earlier directed should no longer consider themselves employees of the county government. The administration claimed three doctors had already picked their promotion letters.

“We are going to declare redundant the positions of doctors who have refused to pick their promotion letters to resume duty,” said the county’s Health executive Prof Judith Atyang’.

And as the doctors’ union and the county government continue to blame one another, residents have been left on their own, with many being forced to seek services either at costly private health facilities or travel long distances in neighbouring counties like Kakamega, Kericho and Siaya to access public health facilities.