Nationwide Doctors' Strike Cripples Healthcare Services in Kenya
Doctors affiliated with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) on Thursday initiated a nationwide strike, crippling healthcare services in public hospitals across the country.
This action stems from a long-standing dispute regarding the placement of intern doctors and the implementation of past agreements with the Ministry of Health. The Ministry acknowledges a shortage of funds as a significant hurdle. Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha informed a parliamentary committee that a budget shortfall prevents the Ministry from posting over 3,000 intern doctors, a key demand of the KMPDU. Meanwhile, the National Treasury has promised a budget allocation of Sh2 billion but the disbursement timeline remains unclear. This shortage is attributed to an increasing number of medical graduates, outpacing the available financial resources.
The KMPDU, led by Secretary General Dr Davji Atellah, disregards a court order issued on Wednesday that suspended the strike. They believe the Ministry has not committed to addressing the intern placement issue and past grievances. This defiance has disrupted medical services in several hospitals with reports indicating a decreased number of doctors and patients at facilities like Mbagathi and Mama Lucy Hospitals in Nairobi.
The impact of the strike is felt nationwide. Public health facilities on the coast have suspended in-patient, theatre, and clinic services indefinitely. KMPDU Coast branch Secretary Ghalib Salim confirms participation by all 630 doctors in the region. Similar disruptions are reported in Rift Valley, where specialized clinics at Nakuru Level 5 Hospital have halted cancer care, dialysis, and diabetic services.
The strike has also caused critical service disruption in Trans Nzoia where surgeries have been suspended. In Nandi County, however, medical professionals at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital have opted to continue providing care. Dr Francis Soita, the KMPDU liaison officer in Trans Nzoia, attributes the strike to the county government's failure to implement a 2017 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). A similar scenario unfolds in Busia, Kakamega, Bungoma, and Vihiga counties within the Western region. Here, public hospitals are facing operational limitations due to a lack of doctors. Patients requiring specialized treatment are being turned away, forcing some families to consider transferring them to private facilities. In Bungoma, only a handful of doctors reported for duty at the referral hospital.
While Central Kenya experiences a slowdown in healthcare operations, reports from Nyanza indicate that some striking doctors are attending to patients at their private clinics.