Two Kisumu MPs have urged President William Ruto to swiftly address the demands of doctors to end their strike.
Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga and Kisumu Central MP Joshua Oron said patients in public hospitals are suffering after doctors started their strike on Thursday.
They spoke on Thursday during the opening of the Sh14 million dormitory at St Theresa's Girls Secondary School funded by National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).
Oron said patients are stranded and being referred to private facilities.
He said the government should find ways to tackle the grievances raised by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union.
Oron, a member of the National Assembly's Health Committee, said the strike should not be taken lightly.
“The patients are undergoing pain and suffering and I'm urging the government to keenly look into the demands by the doctors,” he said.
The MP urged the government to prioritise health matters by allocating enough resources to the sector.
He said a lot of money is being spent on less important things while health is neglected.
“We must know that an unhealthy country is a very poor country. The health of Kenyans should be a priority for Ruto’s government,” Oron said.
Health, he said, is a fundamental human right the government must adequately fund to ensure citizens have proper healthcare provision.
Ruth slammed the government for the recent attack by the police on KMPDU officials, who were championing their rights.
The government, she said, should engage the medics constructively on issues they have raised instead of using force.
“The Kenya Kwanza government must be sensitive to Kenyans because there is freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and expressions. The government should stop harassing doctors and listen to them,” Ruth said.
The MP asked the government to cut expenses on local and international travels to fund the health sector.
“We have seen a lot of the foreign trips, which are very costly,” Ruth said.
KMPDU Nyanza region representative Steve Ndonga said they will not relent until the government commits to addressing their plight.
Most public hospitals in Kisumu during a spot check showed patients were still in the wards, with no medic attending to them.
The doctors in the Nyanza region responded to the start of the strike as they kept off their work stations.
Ndonga said they do not recognise the court order since it was issued only to Kenyatta National Hospital.
Oron also urged the government to address the stalemate between private hospitals and the National Health Insurance Fund.
“We are aware NHIF is not paying private hospitals and soon they are going to start not receiving the insurance holders,” he said.
Private hospitals have issued a six-day notice to the government to prevent the impending strike, Oron said.
“This will be double tragedy for Kenyans should the private hospitals make good their threat. It is high time for the government to work on better modalities to remit payments to the private hospitals,” he said.
