No end to Coast doctors strike
What you need to know:
- Doctors who did not wish to have their identities revealed for fear of victimisation told the Nation that they would not resume duty until they were paid.
- “I have been camping here since Sunday, I need my TB drugs and ARVs. I am even ready to pay a doctor or nurse to attend to me,” a patient who sought anonymity due to his health condition lamented.
- This came as the Mombasa County government took in 21 trainee doctors to help serve the region’s busiest hospital. However, doctors have warned the lives of patients will be in danger as the interns are working unsupervised.
- Mr Joho pleaded with the medics to return to work with an assurance that they would be paid by on Friday. The doctors rejected his plea.
Patients continued being turned away at Coast General Hospital on Thursday as striking doctors resisted pressure to resume work.
More than 20 patients in need of TB and anti-retroviral medicine were turned away because there were no doctors to attend to them.
The patients expressed fear that their lives were in danger, even as religious leaders and civil society at the coast decried poor services at the hospital.
The strike is over delayed pay.
“I have been camping here since Sunday, I need my TB drugs and ARVs. I am even ready to pay a doctor or nurse to attend to me,” a patient who sought anonymity due to his health condition, lamented.
“It is almost a week now and I have not taken my drugs. What will become of me now?” the patient asked.
IDENTITIES REVEALED
Doctors who did not wish to have their identities revealed for fear of victimisation told the Nation that they will not resume duty until they are paid.
“Our colleagues are meeting the hospital management to find an amicable solution but things are still bad. We are not sure when services will resume because we must get our dues first,” a senior doctor said.
Hospital administrator Benjamin Mwero, put on a brave face insisting that the hospital was still running.
“We are running but at the bare minimum. We have more than 250 patients in the wards. There are deliveries at the maternity where mothers are helped,” he said.
He said he was not sure when they will get the money to pay the doctors.
“There are differences, we have not reached any agreement with the doctors. They have maintained that they want their money first,” Dr Mwero said.
This came as the Mombasa County government took in 21 trainee doctors to help serve the region’s busiest hospital. However, doctors have warned the lives of patients will be in danger as the interns are working unsupervised.
A meeting was held on Tuesday between the management, health workers and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho. The workers complained about unpaid July salaries and acute shortage of medicine, equipment and staff.
Mr Joho pleaded with the medics to return to work with an assurance that they would be paid by Friday. The doctors rejected his plea.
And yesterday, the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya Organising Secretary Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa, Muslims for Human Rights officer Francis Auma and Julius Ogogoh of the Commission for Human rights and Justice, said it was a bad idea to devolve health services.
They now want the function to revert back to the national government arguing that the governors had failed.
“Health care is an essential service and a right for every Kenyan. It is not right that innocent Kenyans are suffering,” Mr Ogogoh said.
They pleaded with health workers to resume work to save patients.
