Hospital urges State to end doctors' strike

A mother attends to her child at St Theresa Hospital in Meru on January 1, 2017. Doctors at the hospital are overwhelmed by the influx of patients caused by the doctors' strike. PHOTO | PHOEBE OKALL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Sister Mary Nkatha said managers are looking for people to help attend to the many patients seeking treatment there.
  • Wards are congested after the management increased the number of beds to accommodate the influx of patients, the Nation found.

A mission hospital in Meru has reached out to the Kenya Red Cross and other health sector players to assist in treating patients as the doctors' strike persists.

Sister Mary Nkatha, St Theresa Hospital's administrator, said managers are looking for people to help attend to the many patients seeking treatment there.

Sister Nkatha said the hospital cannot adequately handle all emergency cases because its doctors are overwhelmed.

“We recently had to refer accident victims to other hospitals because we are overstretched...the government and doctors need to be reminded that all is not well,” she said.

Wards are congested after the management increased the number of beds to accommodate the influx of patients, the Nation found.

The newborn unit, which usually has about 10 babies, currently hosts 16.

Further, Sister Nkatha said the hospital now holds more than 200 patients against its 120-bed capacity.

She said the hospital had also overstretched its pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical resources.

“We have been forced to outsource extra bedding and beds to accommodate more patients,” she said.

The administrator added that nurses had to be recalled from their leave because of the rising demand for services.

Doctors went on strike four weeks ago demanding higher salaries, among other things.