Private hospitals join strike as jailed doctors are freed

Some private, mission hospitals and clinics across the country closed business on Wednesday morning in solidarity with jailed doctors’ union officials, who have since been freed.

Their move was aimed at compelling the government to end the strike and fully implement the contentious Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) that doctors have been fighting for.

The Nairobi Hospital had said it was closing for 48 hours following the resolution of the Kenyan Medical Association on Tuesday.

The hospital, in a statement, said it was not admitting new patients but those already in the hospital would receive care.

However, a spot check by the Nation soon after the ruling of the Court of Appeal setting the union officials free revealed that services were resuming at the top-end hospital.

A woman with a baby, who had waited for services since morning, was attended to a few minutes after 11am.

SOLIDARITY

The Mater Hospital in Nairobi, in an internal memo, on Tuesday said it would also heed the KMA call and allow doctors affiliated to the association to stay away from work.

The Nation's efforts to reach the hospital’s communication officer on Wednesday were futile.

Most private clinics in Nakuru town remained closed in solidarity with the officials of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union.

Consultant doctors also kept off their work stations, with only resident doctors attending to patients.

UNINTERRUPTED

But services went uninterrupted at Karen Hospital in Meru, with doctors attending to patients.

At St Theresa Kiirua Mission Hospital, there were no doctors and only clinical officers were attending to the sick.

A similar scenario was witnessed at Woodlands Hospital in Meru.

In Nyeri, most private hospitals continued to operate before and after the appellate court ruling, with some admitting patients.

THE CBA 7

Some hospital officials said they would not down their tools in solidarity with KMPDU officials, also known as the CBA 7.

“We do not intend to join in the mass action. We cannot do that to the patients,” said Bernard Muriithi, Chief Executive Officer of Consolata Mathari Hospital.

He said though overstretched, the doctors had a responsibility to the community at large.

“It all begs for the question what do we tell patients who need our attention?” he said. “We will not shut down our facilities and our doctors and nurses will be working throughout."

OVERSTRETCHED

He said letting patients die was not right.

“Should we let patients die under our watch when we tell them to go away? We can back-date salaries and rights but can we correct a life lost?” asked Mr Muriithi

Currently, Consolata Mathari Mission Hospital is overstretched beyond capacity, especially the in-patient and maternity wings.

Mr Muriithi said they were attending to 240 patients every day against a capacity of 170.

That, he said, has been the case since day one of the doctor’s strike on December 5 last year.

RUN AWAY

“When the doctors were going on strike, they gave private hospitals as an option but what alternative do we give if we close down,” said Mr Muriithi.

Mr Richard Mutahi of the Outspan Hospital in Nyeri said they were coping with the situation.

“We cannot turn away patients who are sick and rely on us for medical attention. We are coping very well with the situation,” said Mr Mutahi.

Reports by Eunice Kilonzo, Elizabeth Merab, Kenneth Kimanthi, Irene Mugo and Magdalene Wanja.