• In a video shared online, a lady is seen assaulting a nurse at the front desk of the hospital while hurling insults at her for allegedly not attending to an emergency.
• At some point, the lady who was in the company of a man, invoked the name of a Cabinet Secretary and threatened the nurse with severe action.
Health unions have called for the immediate arrest of a lady and a man who were caught on camera allegedly assaulting a nurse on night duty at a hospital in Busia.
Under the Health Union Caucus, the group has further called for the provision of armed security personnel and enhanced security surveillance and intervention protocols in all health facilities across the country to avert such incidents.
"We call on the relevant authorities, including the police, to swiftly investigate this incident and bring the perpetrators to justice," they said.
"The Unions will be petitioning Senate to amend necessary legislation to provide for enhanced security measures within health facilities and enforcement of Occupational Safety and Health Act in health facilities."
In a video shared online, a lady is seen reportedly assaulting a nurse at the front desk of the hospital while hurling insults at her for allegedly not attending to an emergency.
At some point, the lady who was in the company of a man, invoked the name of a Cabinet Secretary and threatened the nurse with severe action.
The health unions said such acts of aggression jeopardise the safety and well-being of healthcare professionals and undermines the critical healthcare services they provide to the community.
"It is deeply distressing that healthcare workers, who dedicate their lives to saving lives and alleviating suffering are subjected to violence in the course of their duties," they said.
"This incident is a stark reminder of the urgent need for enhanced security measures within healthcare facilities across the country."
The group reminded the general public that they are bound by the Health Act to adhere to the rules of a health facility when receiving treatment or using the health services provided by the establishment.
They said the same Act grants a healthcare provider the right to refuse to treat a user who is physically or verbally abusive or who sexually harasses him or her except in an emergency where no alternative healthcare personnel is available.
"It is, however, worth noting that attacks on health workers have been on an upward trend and assailants are not held to account in most of the cases," the unions said.
The team cited a case in Naivasha where health workers were threatened at gunpoint and two similar cases in Kisii and Migori.
The union said health workers are exposed to these criminal acts especially during night duty largely because hospitals do not have scanners and anybody can gain access with weapons.
"We urge law enforcement agencies to collaborate with healthcare institutions to establish effective security protocols that will safeguard the well-being of both healthcare providers and patients."
The joint statement was issued by the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), KMPDU among others.