Former Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union Secretary-General Dr Ouma Oluga has dismissed public criticisms surrounding President William Ruto’s meeting with KMPDU officials at State House.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) hours after the meeting, Dr Oluga defended the meeting, saying it was the right thing for the officials to do to address the health sector crisis.
He told off critics faulting the medics for meeting the head of state days after signing the return-to-work formula.
According to Dr Oluga, having been a union leader, one cannot turn down a presidential sit-down request or a gesture to discuss issues.
“KMPDU is a very active and member-driven Organisation. You can trust the membership to do their thing whenever their leaders are off. Having been a consequential Secretary General, it is impossible and very unwise to decline a call for a meeting with the President,” he said.
“It is what you say in the meeting that matters. And on this, we don’t know what they discussed until they tell us what they discussed.”
Oluga went on to express his optimism on the meeting outcome noting that KMPDU is a reputable body that minds the welfare of its workers.
He underscored the need for the state and the Union leaders to collaborate in a bid to address the medical internship Issue, now that the strike was off and the temperatures had gone down.
“Now that temperatures seem to be coming down, the country must factually look into the medical internship issue and end the frustration of young men and women who’ve waited unfairly to begin their careers. Concluding the internship issue will be the true legitimacy outcome from the show of goodwill,” Oluga noted.
Following the meeting on Saturday, the president said the government would engage stakeholders in the health sector, including health workers’ unions, to promote industrial harmony and long-lasting solutions to challenges experienced by personnel in the sector.
He also pledged to consistently address the persistent human resource challenges that slow down the realization of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) across the country.
KMPDU Secretary General Dr Davji Atellah, Health of Public Service Felix Kosgei, Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha and Principal Secretary in the State Department of Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni were all present during the meeting.
By Citizen Digital