- Health CS Susan Nakhumicha condemned the incident saying the perpetrators will face the full force of the law.
- A college student in theatre technology at The Nairobi Women’s Hospital College who has since been identified as the main suspect has already been presented in court.
Normalcy has returned at Port Victoria Hospital in Busia after key demands which had been outlined by healthcare workers were addressed.
Various health unions withdrew their members from the facility last week after an incident on a section of healthcare workers.
But speaking to the Star on Thursday, the Kenya National Union on Nurses SG Seth Panyako said he had issued a directive that members resume work on Wednesday.
This was after a meeting was held on Tuesday between the unions’ branch officials and other stakeholders to help address among others the issues of security of healthcare workers as they discharge their mandate.
The meeting brought together health unions branch officials, county government officials, the police, the area OCS, opinion leaders and the political wing to come up with a strategy on how to ensure that facilities across Busia county have security.
During the meeting, Panyako disclosed that it was agreed police officers on patrol would be required to leave their contacts at various health facilities across the county to allow swift response should any emergency arise.
“Police will now be patrolling, those on duty will be required to pass across all the hospitals and leave their contacts so that in case of anything they are called and they come to the facility that has the issue,” Panyako said.
“The issue was not about arresting the girl alone; arresting was one of the demands, another one was to be assured that there is security and we are satisfied that this arrangement will at least make sure our health workers will feel secure.”
Panyako has reiterated the commitment of health unions to work with the two levels of government in ensuring Kenyans have access to healthcare, noting that nurses play a critical role in the provision of healthcare in the country.
“I am happy that nowadays our leaders do appreciate that nurses are key in the health sector, I have seen the current CS coming out strongly to defend health workers and we are happy with her so we will support her,” Panyako said.
Health CS Susan Nakhumicha condemned the incident saying the perpetrators will face the full force of the law.
A college student in theatre technology at The Nairobi Women’s Hospital College who has since been identified as the main suspect has already been presented in court.
Nakhumicha said healthcare workers deserve the utmost respect as they are the backbone of the healthcare system.
"They work tirelessly sometimes under challenging conditions to ensure the well-being of all citizens across different hospital levels," Nakhumicha stated.
A video taken on December 31 shows the woman, accompanied by a man, insulting a nurse at Port Victoria Hospital in Busia.