KMTC Kisumu campus students barred from JOOTRH for creating disturbance

Students at the Kisumu campus of the Kenya Medical Training College are paying dearly for causing a disturbance at a governor's function – they are barred from county hospitals for practice.

The students have been forced to look for hospitals outside the Governor Anyang' Nyong'o county in which to do their practical courses.

But the county director of communication, Aloice Ager, denied that students have been barred from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.

Ager said nobody should create the impression that students have been barred to hide the fact that the learners were used to destroy the hospital’s property.

“No student has been barred from accessing the hospital facilities; the county government is only condemning the misuse and incitement of students that saw hospital property destroyed two weeks ago," he said.

It all started a fortnight ago as Nyong’o launched the construction of a radiotherapy centre on disputed land.

The 21-acre property is being claimed by both the JOOTRH and the college.

KMTC Kisumu campus principal Kelly Oluoch said lecturers are finding it hard to teach and assess the students in distant hospitals at Ahero and Vihiga.

“It's additional workload for the lecturers who have to juggle between teaching, learning and assessments now that assessment areas are far away," Oluoch said.

A May 14 memo instructed all heads of department at the JOOTRH not to allow the students access to the hospital until the dispute is resolved.

“Due to pending issues between KMTC and risk of destruction of hospital property by students, it has been decided that KMTC students, Kisumu campus be barred from visiting and accessing any hospital premises until the matter is resolved,” the memo from the director of Finance Administration at JOORTH Allan Omondi said.

On Thursday, Oluoch was optimistic that the matter will be resolved amicably.

He said the Ministry of Health has been notified of the happenings.

"We are optimistic that this matter will be solved. We are making plans between our board of management and the board of management at JOORTH to resolve this issue. We have also notified the Ministry of Health of the challenges and they are also looking into the matter,” the principal said.

Ager said there was no contention on the land and that the development planned by the county will go on.