Hospitals crippled as doctors go on strike
What you need to know:
- Medics want a 300 per cent pay rise but junior minister says all the money has been set aside for Somalia war
Thousands of patients were on Monday turned away as the doctors’ strike crippled healthcare in public hospitals nationwide.
The boycott was called by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPPDU) after negotiations for better pay with the government collapsed.
Most affected were provincial and district hospitals, but the Health ministries ruled out a quick-fix to the crisis.
Medical Services assistant minister Kambi Kazungu said the government could not meet the union’s demands allegedly because all resources had been channelled to the military operation in Somalia.
“If it was money that they wanted, the government has done that by offering Sh1.3 billion in allowances. It seems they have other matters other than money,” he said, adding that only the Salaries and Remuneration Commission could increase pay for public workers.
Dubbed the Blue Revolution: Operation Linda Afya, the doctors accused Treasury of deliberately under-funding healthcare services.
KMPDU chairman Victor Ng’ani said the strike will continue indefinitely.
“We want to state here today that Treasury is the root cause of the deplorable healthcare in the country. This country should forget attainment of Vision 2030 and Millennium Development Goals if the government cannot fund healthcare,” Dr Ng’ani said.
The protesting doctors marched from Kenyatta National Hospital to Afya House to present a petition to the ministers of Public Health and Medical Services.
But the ministers, Mrs Beth Mugo and Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, were not in office, neither were their permanent secretaries and line directors.
This enraged the medics, who camped at the ministry singing protest songs such as Bado Mapambano.
They later walked to Treasury demanding to be addressed by Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta or his permanent secretary Joseph Kinyua.
The pair was out, but the group rejected an offer to meet Financial Secretary Mutua Kilaka.
In Nairobi, operations at Mbagathi District Hospital ran smoothly, with most medical officers reporting for duty.
At the Coast Provincial General Hospital, doctors camped outside the wards demanding better terms.
“As you can see we are ready to report to work any moment from now as long as the government meets our demands,” a female doctor, who sought anonymity for fear of reprisals, said.
At the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital, a baby is said to have died waiting for specialist attention.
In Kisumu, health workers from the district and provincial hospitals took to the streets. This was replicated in Kisii and Migori, where nurses joined the boycott.
