Doctors Sunday gave the government a seven-day ultimatum to address their grievances or they down their tools.

Through the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU), the medics are accusing the government of the slow implementation of the return-to-work formula agreed upon last month.

The doctors want the government to employ 200 more doctors, as promised on December 12, last year, to ease the work load.

The medics also want among other things the government to increase their allowances.

They downed their tools in the beginning of December but suspended the strike after two-weeks, saying they were giving dialogue a chance after the government signed a return-to-work formula with them promising to form a task force to look into their grievances.

The government was represented by the then acting Medical Services Minister Dalmas Otieno and Labor Permanent Secretary (PS) Beatrice Naliaka Kituyi, while the doctors were represented by their union officials.

Central Organization of Trade Union (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli attended the negotiations.

The taskforce was supposed to submit its findings seven days later, but six weeks down the line the union cites negligence on the government’s part to fulfill its part of the agreement.

Today KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Boniface Chitayi said that the government has failed to honour its part of the deal and that it was derailing the implementation of the agreement.

“We went to work in the strong belief that the government could honour its agreement but the initial urgency that greeted the drafting of this formula has been replaced with deliberate procrastinations,” said Chitayi.

Chitayi further expressed disappointment at the level of quality in health centers and the incessant negligence of doctors.

He said that the government had promised to employ 200 more doctors to ease the work load, a promise that is yet to be fulfilled.

“Over 400 doctors in Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital continue to work with no pay despite the taskforce having established the existence of this slavery and made recommendations that it ends,” said Chitayi.

KMPDU Chairman Victor Ngani alleged that the Ministries of Medical Services and Public Health were making attempts to wreck the return to work formula and warned that they would use legal measures to stop the mischief.