Clinical Officer interns protest over unpaid monthly stipends

Nearly three thousand clinical officer interns attached to health facilities across the country have protested the non-payment of their promised monthly stipends.

The trainees were engaged by the national government through the Ministry of Health for a one-year internship programme at public hospitals in two cohorts.

The government engaged the first lot of interns in August and the second lot in December for a period of one year.

According to the letter, the interns are entitled to a monthly stipend and would be subject to the rules and regulations in the Kenya Civil Service.

At the Nakuru Level Five Hospital, 70 interns marched out of the facility expressing their frustrations citing that no money had been remitted to them for the last seven months.

“We took the offers knowing that there will be a stipend for our survival. None of us has been paid since August and December respectively despite the written commitment,” said Naomi Muyucha.

She explained that the mistreatment by the Ministry of Health has affected their working morale despite the high expectations from the government that they serve patients to standards.

Timothy Ogado who was posted to the facility in August said that they were willing to work for the public but the silence from the Ministry had left them struggling with bills.

He pointed out that the communication breakdown has left them in confusion noting that many of them are now heavily indebted in their attempts to make ends meet.

Mohamed Amin who also joined the facility in August explained that working without pay has been demoralizing for them citing the high risks in their working environment.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary-General Dr Davji Bhimji said that the union would rally behind the interns if the challenge persists.

Dr Bhimji said that the union had initiated talks with the Ministry on behalf of the interns and they are set to make progress on the matter later this month.