Medical interns angered by Health ministry's latest decision

david nganga

May 16, 2017 3:06 PM

Medical interns in the country are not a happy lot after....

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A section of medical interns across various government hospitals are up in arms after their salaries were reversed, days after being posted into their bank accounts.

The confusion has stemmed from the fact that the reversal was done without explanation and is said to have affected at least 335 out of 725 interns.

The blame is being directed to the Ministry of Health with the affected interns lodging their complaints at Afya House.

Also read: Senior officials in Afya House scam to be exposed after US drastic decision

“We need to know what is happening since some accounts have been overdrawn… we don’t know where the money went to.”

“We have contacted the Ministry as a union and all they say is that they are sorting out with KCB (their bankers),”said Dr.Kaugiria who is the Nairobi Branch secretary of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU).

Most of the interns have gone without salaries since last December with most of the affected being doctor interns that bank with KCB and Co-operative banks.

The Business Daily observed that some medical interns’ accounts were either grossly overpaid or underpaid, as per the standard salary set for Job group L.

For instance, the pay slip of a medical intern who banks with KCB showed Sh184,641 was credited as salary from the Ministry on May 11, only for his account to be debited the following day leaving him with a negative balance of (Sh571,942).

Likewise, another account received Sh284,678 from the Ministry on May 11, but the amount was fully reversed the following day.

All medical interns are subject to a net pay of Sh90,000.

The interns have also not received pay slips since 2014, in order to “rip off” taxpayers by using payment vouchers; claims refuted by the Health CS Julius Korir.

david nganga