The strike by doctors in Kenya has highlighted the unemployment crisis in the country. Many doctors, despite being qualified, are struggling to get jobs due to government budget shortfalls. This strike comes in the light of Kenya’s potential funding constraints caused by rising debt repayments.

The country’s health ministry stated that it is unable to hire over 3,000 unemployed medical interns due to a lack of resources, contradicting a policy that requires medical interns to be placed in jobs within 30 days of completing their studies. The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union is insisting the government fulfill an agreement signed in 2017 which included fast-tracking clearance for graduates to work in health facilities.

The unavailability of jobs and inadequacies in pay have spurred the migration of doctors out of the country, threatening to weaken Kenya’s public health system. This problem has been compounded by clinical officers who had been substituting for the doctors joining the nationwide strike, causing an increase in patients turned away from health facilities.

Kenya’s healthcare budget falls short of the recommended 5% by the WHO and the 15% the country committed to spend on health as part of the Abuja declaration, indicating clear economic constraints.

Efforts to mitigate this problem include funding strategies like selling bonds in China, Japan, and the Middle East to help cover the budget deficit. Addressing this issue will be crucial for improving labor relations and fortifying the country’s health workforce, and is pivotal for the success of President William Ruto’s Universal Healthcare plan.

In a related development, the South African Medical Association Trade Union warned that a continuous failure to employ doctors at state-owned hospitals is encouraging the migration of doctors out of the country. They cited budget constraints as the main reason for the limited hiring of qualified medical doctors, which they believe prompts the emigration of these professionals.

In conclusion, the persistent health workforce crisis in Kenya underscored by the doctors’ strike necessitates immediate action from the government to prevent the further weakening of the country’s public health system. Effective strategies to manage budget constraints and stimulate healthcare financing need to be implemented to avert further complications in the country’s health sector.