Patients suffer as nurses reject call to end strike
Ms Esther Juma, who lost her son Levi Mila, a student at the Technical University of Mombasa, asks striking health workers to consider returning to work.
Patients continue to suffer as health workers and their employer tussle over the ongoing strike that has completely paralysed health services in all public hospitals.
In the Coast region, Esther Juma is inconsolable after her 26 year-old son died in agony due to lack of medics to attend to his ailment.
Levi Mila was due for surgery at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital to remove a growth in his lungs, but he was discharged from the hospital because of the strike.
“My son was my only hope. I don’t know where to start or what to do next. To the striking health workers, before doing anything, think about the downtrodden. My son was scheduled for the operation on November 16. We were at the ward, but we were discharged because of the strike,” the mother of two said.
Ms Juma is a small-scale trader. Her son was a fourth year student at the Technical University of Mombasa.
“He was very bright, studying Bachelor of Commerce. The government should help me bury my son,” she said.
Third-party deductions
The Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) Mombasa branch secretary Peter Maroko said patients are going through untold suffering due to the strike.
“However, this is the government’s responsibility. We’re not scared of being sacked by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, who lacks the authority to do so” Mr Maroko said.
The striking health workers have met Mombasa Finance Executive Mariam Mbarak, acting County Secretary Job Tumbo, Director of Medical Services Shem Pata, Chief Administrator Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital and Public Health chief officer Pauline Odinga.
“The county wants us to resume duties, but they did not offer any substantive commitment on the issue of non-remittance of statutory and third party deductions. Their wish is that we call off the strike, go back to work as we engage on the issues we had raised but we insist we want proof that they’ve remitted our deductions and engage banks to unfreeze our frozen accounts,” he added.
Accounts frozen
A majority of the 850 of nurses earn their salaries through Cooperative Bank, and their accounts have been frozen due to non-remittance of loan repayments.
“This has left our members suffering. The banks have drained whatever little that was in our accounts to recover their loans. KCB has also threatened to follow suit,” Mr Maroko said.
A meeting between Governor Hassan Joho’s administration and the striking health workers aborted. The striking health workers want the governor to talk about the issue.
“His silence is too loud. We want him to talk; we’re suffering. The ball stops with the government,” the Knun official said.
