Society insists nurses strike still on

A mother and her newborn son bled to death at the gates of a dispensary after striking nurses refused to attend to them, the family said.

Mrs Chari Katana, 35, was rushed to Kokotoni Dispensary in Kinango, Kwale County, in labour on Tuesday morning.

But the nurses at the dispensary refused to attend to her, saying they were on strike, according to her family. (READ: Agony as accident victims thrown out)

Her mother-in-law, Ms Chizi Ngoka Kadide, and another relative, Mr Eliud Chirunga, decided to take her back to their Birikani village home so she could deliver her baby there.

“But a few metres away, my daughter delivered a baby boy with difficulties. She started bleeding and we rushed her back to the dispensary but the three attendants refused to treat her, saying they were on strike,” said Ms Chambi.

The new mother and her son bled to death.

Angry villagers marched to Kokotoni Dispensary intending to lynch the nurses, who locked themselves in a room and called the police. Quick action by officers from Mariakani Police Station saved the day after they came and rescued the nurses from the mob.

Director of Medical Services Francis Kimani told the Nation that he was not aware of any deaths as a result from the strike, adding that he would contact the Coast Province health officials for more details.

Dr Kimani reiterated the directive by Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o yesterday that the striking health workers had been sacked for failure to abide by the 2pm deadline on Tuesday to resume work. (READ: You will lose your jobs, Nyongo warns nurses)

However, Kenya Health Professionals Society official Alex Orina said the 40,000 members of the union remained on strike despite what they termed as threats from the ministry.

“We are fully on strike,” Mr Orina told the Nation adding the workers would only resume duty after their demands were met and communicated to them in writing.

On Wednesday at Mrs Katana’s funeral in Birikani village, locals expressed anger and frustration at what they described as inhuman behaviour by medical staff.

Mr Chaka Kadide, the woman’s husband, said had his wife been attended to by the nurses, she and his son would have lived.

“What is the use? Why should we have hospitals and personnel? Why was my wife left to die just like that?” he asked.

Recalling how nurses on Tuesday turned away her daughter-in-law who was in labour, Mrs Kadide, said:

“We decided to go home hoping she would deliver naturally and safely there. But a few metres away, she delivered and started bleeding a lot. We took her back to the dispensary so that they could stop the bleeding but they didn’t and she died with her baby.”

Coast Provincial Director of Public Health, Dr Anisa Omar, could not be reached for comment. (READ: Nurses and unions split on boycott)

The Mariakani police boss, Ms Beatrice Gachagoh said: “I dispatched my officers there who saved the nurses. They met a lot of resistance from the angry villagers when they tried to take the body for postmortem at Mariakani District Hospital,” she said.

The villagers had threatened to abandon the body accusing the nurses of negligence leading to the woman’s death.

The OCPD said police were forced to use force to take the body away. The villagers also declined to record statements, according to Ms Gachagoh.

“We had to do a lot of convincing but it all failed. They refused to record any statement,” she said adding that statements must be recorded to enable the police launch investigations.

“Any complaint must have accompanying statements recorded so, we shall still pursue the villagers to get their statements,” she said. But the nurses had given their statements, she said.

“According to one of the nurses, the baby had already died when the deceased arrived at the dispensary. But we shall determine this after investigations,” she said.

Mr Chirunga said even though they are on strike, the nurses should have been humane and attended to the bleeding woman.

“Here we are far from big hospitals and depend on this health facility. They should have treated the woman even on humanitarian grounds,” said Mr Chirunga.

At the Coast General Hospital, staff vowed to continue with their strike until all their demands were met.

Attempts by Coast Health Workers Association chairman Rashid Mwangangi to have them resume duty did not bear fruit.

“Minister Anyang’ Nyong’o’s offer is empty. We cannot go back to work until all our demands are met,” said Mr Alex Sosori, a laboratory technician.