Court orders union to ensure striking Nyeri doctors resume work
Unattended patients at the Nyeri County Referral Hospital on November 3, 2016. The labour court in Nyeri has ordered the doctors' union to ensure its striking members resume work. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- As a result of the doctors’ strike, patients at the county's main hospitals are suffering due to lack of specialised health services.
- In defence, the doctors told the court that they were served with the court order on Wednesday evening.
- Already three patients have reportedly died while several others have been transferred to private hospitals.
- The doctors went on strike citing failure by the county government to address their grievances.
A court in Nyeri has ordered the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentist Union (KMPDU) National Secretary-General Dr Ouma Oluga and the central region branch officials, Dr Gor Goody K and Dr Wairimu Mwaniki, to ensure doctors in Nyeri return to work by Friday 9 am.
Justice Byram Ongaya of the Employment and Labour Relations Court ordered the doctors to end the strike that has crippled health services in the county for two weeks now.
The county government, through lawyer Patrick Ngunjiri, told the court that despite the court on Tuesday directing doctors to resume duty, they have deliberately refused and left many patients suffering in hospitals.
According to Mr Ngunjiri, the county is in the process of addressing the doctors’ grievances.
“The Council of Governors is also coming up with a strategic plan on how doctor’s issues can be handled in counties,” said Mr Ngunjiri.
They county government also sought for an order to compel the union’s national and central region officials to explain why the doctors had not complied with court orders.
PATIENTS SUFFERING
Mr Ngunjiri said as a result of the doctors’ strike, patients at the Nyeri County Referral Hospital and the Karatina Level Four Hospital are suffering due to lack of specialised health services.
In defence, the doctors told the court that they were served with the court order on Wednesday evening.
Lawyer M K Kiminda who represented the doctors said they needed time to file their response.
The doctors have paralysed health services in the county for two weeks now and patients have been forced to seek medical services from hospitals in neighbouring Kirinyaga County.
Already three patients have reportedly died while several others have been transferred to private hospitals.
The doctors went on strike citing failure by the county government to address their grievances including failure to allow doctors to go for postgraduate studies.
They also claim that they work and live in deplorable and life threatening conditions.
