Tales of suffering as doctors’ strike continues to bite

A cross-section of patients at Kenyatta National Hospital complained of delayed services even as the strike by trainee doctors continued on Thursday.

During a spot check by the Nation at the hospital’s casualty wing, Mr David Kamweya, 38, said that he was still waiting to be admitted into the ward after he was knocked down by a car in Kamulu area and rushed to the hospital by relatives on Wednesday night.

“I was rushed to the hospital’s casualty wing at 12pm on Wednesday, but I’m still waiting to be admitted to the ward,” Mr Kamweya, who was groaning in pain on a stretcher, complained.

Another accident victim, Mr Martin Kirema said he was brought in by good samaritans from Eastleigh estate at 2am on Wednesday night and was still waiting for X-ray results before being admitted in the ward.

On his part, Mr Agosa Hopen complained that he had brought his wife Joyce Karagacha for treatment on Wednesday at 7pm but was still on the queue by 11.30am on Thursday.

“Since our arrival, we have experienced a go slow in services and we are yet to access treatment,” he complained.

However, at the maternity ward, Mrs Rebecca Kamau was all smiles after giving birth to a baby boy after she was admitted on Wednesday and taken to the theatre for a Caesarean Section.

On Wednesday, the hospital’s deputy director, Dr Simeon Monda said that the number of patients at the casualty wing had dropped from 600 to between 100 and 150 daily.

He said patients were no longer going to the hospital because of a perception that no services were being offered, which had eased pressure on the few available consultants.

Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union chairman, Dr Victor Ng’ani said all registrars at the main referral hospital were still on strike.

“We feel re-energised just like the strike has just started,” Dr Ng’ani added.

In Central Province the Nyeri Provincial General Hospital remained empty as patients avoided visiting the hospital.

The casualty wing had no patients, and nurses and clinical officers had an easy time as they had no patients to attend to.

The paediatric ward was also empty as patients previously admitted had left in search of better services in private and mission hospitals within Nyeri County.

A nurse who declined to be named, said patients were opting to go to Mathari and Tumutumu mission hospitals where they could get services.

She said since Monday, the number of patients visiting the hospital had been declining on a daily basis.

The hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Julius Macharia said that there was high rate of absenteeism by doctors and insisted they were still operating normally.

He said no patients had returned home without being treated due to lack of doctors.

“The few patients who are coming are not being turned away. We are serving them. As you can see, I’m busy attending to my patients,” said Dr Macharia.

Kenya Medical Training College lecturers threatened to also go on strike.

Hundreds of the trainers based at the institution’s Nakuru Campus staged a demonstration during which they called for better terms.

In Nakuru, patients at the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital spent hours waiting for services as a skeleton staff struggled to cope with the high number of the sick.

This happened even as Medical Superintendent John Murima, insisted that operations at the hospital were going on as normal.

A 65-year-old Veronica Wanjiku said she had travelled 20 kilometres from Bahati, but had not been attended to four hours later.

Accident victim Morris Adama, 24, lay in pain after waiting to attended for two hours.

“There is no one in there. I haven’t seen a doctor enter there since I arrived two hours ago,” he said.

At the Langa Langa District Hospital, the expansive waiting area was devoid of patients despite the fact that Thursdays are set aside for post-natal clinics.

Nurses at Moi teaching and referral hospital in Eldoret said they will only negotiate with the management when sacking letters are withdrawn.

“Several of our members have been issued with sacking letters from the management in order to make us go back to our work stations and we have instructed our lawyers to pick them,” said Kenya National Union of Nurses Eldoret chapter secretary Sammy Cheserek.

Reported by Ouma Wanzala, Eddy Ngeta, James Ngunjiri and Mike Mwaniki