• The Kisumu healthcare workers' strike entered Day Two on Wednesday as doctors joined them and patients streamed from public hospitals. Workers vowed not to relent until their grievances are met.
• A spot check by the Star showed many empty beds and patients waiting for relatives to take them home or to private facilities. Security gaurds manning the wards helped.
Image: Daniel Ogendo
The Kisumu county healthcare system headed for a shutdown on Wednesday as doctors joined the medics' strike and patients streamed from public hospitals.
Many said they feared for their lives without public hospitals and relatives said they were unsure how to care for post-surgical patients; private hospitals are too expensive.
The status of three Covid-19 patients in isolation was not immediately known. Two other patients from the county are being treated in Nairobi.
Governor Anyang' Nyong'o on Monday pleaded with the health workers not to go on strike, saying it could jeopardise services and treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said a strike would be disastrous.
But on Day Two, health workers pledged not to relent until their grievances are met. They demand promotions, redeployment, payment of salary arrears and Covid-19 ‘hazard’ allowances.
Doctors who had given their strike notice on June 2 joined the walkout, making the same demands.
A spot check by the Star at various facilities revealed many empty beds. Some patients were waiting for relatives to pick them, others were assisted by security guards manning the wards.
Guards at gates turned patients away.
At Kombewa Subcounty Hospital, only the medical superintendent was present; otherwise, the facility was empty.
At the county hospital, patients were being taken home if they could not afford private hospitals.
Mark Onyango took his father home to Rabuor after he underwent surgery and there was no one to care for him. “For the time being we will nurse his wounds and give him pain killers as we wait to see what happens with the strike,” he told the Star.
Martha Anyango had to wheel away her father who had surgery two days ago to remove his urinary bladder. She was advised to take him to a private facility if he developed complications.
Nyanza branch KMPDU chairman Kevin Osuri told the Star they were disappointed with the county government. Despite saying they were ready for negotiations they had received no communications from the county, he said.
“There is no doctor at any public health facility. Our members will stay away until the county honours court orders and agreements with the union.”
On Monday, patients were issued with discharge letters.
Lilian Atieno said her mother was admitted after she vomited and showed signs of dysentery.
“After a blood transfusion, she was discharged with X-ray examination and treatment. We don’t know what to do because we can’t afford other facilities,” Atieno said.
Patient Fauzia Juma, who was admitted on Friday, told the Star she was stranded and urged the county to meet health workers’ demands.
“At least I can manage to walk and my grandmother has come to take me home. What of the people who cannot even stand?” she asked.
Kisumu Kenya National Union of Nurses branch secretary Maurice Opetu advised colleagues to stay home and be safe as they wait for the county to implement their demands in full.
He said the county had allocated Sh250 million in the current budget and Sh38 million in the supplementary budget for promotions, but the money has not been paid out.
“Nobody is taking responsibility to explain why the funds haven’t been spent,” Opetu said.
He said the county mistreats health workers and is insincere in addressing grievances. Everyone will stay away, he said, until they see more money in their payslips.
“They take money from the county coffers and it ends up in their pockets instead of giving it to the health workers during this Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
He said it was very unfortunate that people have to suffer. However, health workers also have families to feed, bills to pay and school fees to pay.
“Nobody should take advantage of Covid-19 because it came when we had already tabled our demands which have affected us since June 2019. e have exercised goodwill, offered room for dialogue until the county took us to court in December,” Opetu said.
He said healthcare workers are on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kenya Union of Clinical Officers Kisumu county branch chairman Vincent Owaa called upon the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to intervene and investigate how the money was pent.
Governor Anyang' Nyong'o said on Monday, "I would like health workers to join hands in delivering healthcare during this difficult time.
“It will be disastrous to our people to go on strike now over issues that have either been resolved or are rationally, systematically and mutually being dealt with by parties concerned.”
The governor said his administration has already promoted 1,007 health workers, including doctors, nurses and clinical officers, and plans are underway to consider promoting other groups.
“We shall make sure the process of promotion is done properly to the satisfaction of all health workers backdated to July last year,” he added.
Last week, the county assembly committees on Health and Labour held met with the unions and county government to resolve the disputes.
It was agreed that a joint team from the assembly and union would ensure the Executive issues promotion letters to 144 health workers who were due for promotion but have not received their letters.
All promoted workers will earn higher salaries and get their arrears budgeted for in 2020-21.
(Edited by V. Graham)