Kenya Medical Association (KMA) has rejected the proposal by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to abolish Non-Practice Allowance (NPA) from doctors' pay in public service saying that is a direct insult to the profession.
In a memorandum dated March 7, 2023, KMA said the SRC should refrain from giving guidance on NPA as it ‘borders on infringement to negotiate a fair wage’.
NPA was introduced as a tool to increase retention rates in the public health sector following concern by KMA over what it termed dismal pay for doctors.
Doctors in job group L have been earning Sh12,000 in non-practice allowance while those in job groups, S and T, have been earning up to Sh60,000.
“The proposal to abolish non-practice allowance is in contravention of ‘The need to ensure that public services are able to attract and retain the skills required to execute their functions and the need to recognize productivity and performance’, key guiding principles that the SRC must consider at it performs its functions as laid in the constitution.
This will instead lead to low retention rates of Doctors and further deterioration of the state of public healthcare in the country,” read part of the memorandum.
SRC had earlier argued that the situation had changed for the better and there was no need to continue paying the allowances which also include sitting allowance for institutional internal committee members, and task force allowance.
This comes at a time Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) decry the government is yet to honour the 2017-2021 CBA, despite calling off their planned strike two months ago, to allow for dialogue.
KMPDU called off the strike that was set to begin on January 6 in a bid to push for the immediate posting of intern doctors and address doctor shortages in hospitals as well as favourable working hours.
