Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto has told government officials supporting the doctor’s strike to pay them the amount they are asking for.
Addressing a gathering, the president said that all those siding with doctors marching on the streets, leaving patients in hospitals disadvantaged, should stop championing for them and use their money to pay them.
“The other day we had a doctor’s challenge that haven’t been paid because we have real issues we are dealing with. We have leaders, including the governors, saying we are really supporting the doctor’s strike……. If you support the doctor’s strike, pay the money they are asking for.” President Ruto shared.
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The president advised that instead of siding with popular things, people should focus on relevant, serious things that the country is facing.
What the President advised the Doctors who are on strike
The President, had however, responded to the doctors plea for an increase in wages, telling them that they should understand that the country does not have the resources to increase wages for its workers and that they should live within their means as inflation is taking place everywhere.
“We must tell ourselves the truth: the time has come for us to live within our means. We cannot continue to spend the money we don’t have. We must be honest with ourselves, and the truth is that we must live within our means. We cannot borrow money to pay salaries.” President Ruto addressed the matter.
In a five-week-long statewide strike, hundreds of Kenyan physicians and other medical professionals demonstrated on Tuesday in support of improved pay and working conditions.
The doctors carried placards and chanted against the Kenyan government, saying it had failed to implement a raft of promises, including a collective bargaining agreement signed in 2017 after a 100-day strike during which people died from lack of care.
The strike has left many patients without access to essential medical services, exacerbating their conditions and causing distress.