Nduru hospital reopens, armed officers take charge of security following attack
Nduru Level 4 Hospital in South Mugirango, Kisii County. The facility was after an armed gang attacked doctors and nurses.
Nduru Level 4 hospital, which was closed after hooligans raided it and assaulted medical workers over a month ago, has reopened.
Trade Union officials, the Kisii County leadership and security officers led by the county commissioner, agreed to a joint partnership where armed police officers will be permanently stationed at the hospital.
Speaking in Kisii town on Monday, top security officers led by County Commissioner Tom Anjere promised to deal ruthlessly with anyone out to cause mayhem at the hospital, even though they are yet to arrest perpetrators of the violence that left doctors and nurses seriously injured.
“Let me begin by appreciating the gesture that has been demonstrated by the medic’s union this afternoon, we have been able to make a breakthrough to go to Nduru hospital and have the facility operationalised," said Mr Anjere, who was flanked by Kisii Deputy Governor Robert Monda and medical union officials.
"In terms of security, because this is the area the medics have expressed a lot of apprehension, we have assured them that we have put in place adequate arrangements to provide them with security on 24-hours basis. In areas they feel there is a need for additional security, we are going to dedicate them with a view of ensuring they attend to their profession uninterrupted," he said.
The county commissioner promised the hospital workers that all the sub county hospitals will be provided with armed security guards in a bid to counter any thuggery against them.
Mr Anjere warned unnamed politicians behind the harassment of medical personnel leading to the disruption of services at the hospital that they were being watched and that appropriate action would be taken at an opportune time.
Speaking at the same function, union officials warned those hell-bent on harassing medical personnel in the region that they should learn from the one-month closure of the hospital and the serious effects it had on patients.
The officials said any future attack on medical personnel in Nduru will be met with total and permanent withdrawal of services by doctors and nurses.
Dr Monda told politicians from all levels of leadership to respect one another, noting that the county needed progress.
“My warning to our people is that you cannot break the leg that you use to walk. You cannot beat up the healthcare workers and then ask them to give us services when they are nursing injuries. Let us rethink some conduct we find ourselves in,” said the deputy governor.
He called on leaders as well as citizens to desist from hurting public servants who are in Kisii to serve.
“Let us pull up our socks in the way we handle public servants. When we send them away, we lose service and suffer, we must behave,” said Dr Monda, saying that what happened at Nduru hospital was shameful.
The attack on the doctors and nurses by heavily armed people on Wednesday, April 12, led to the closure of the hospital, with union officials in the medical fraternity declaring that the institution would not be opened after the workers' safety was guaranteed.
The attackers said they were opposed to the transfer of medical equipment by some senior medical staff in the Kisii County Government.
They also vandalised the vehicle that was to be used to transfer the anaesthesia machine to Keumbu sub-county Referral Hospital.
