Hundreds of patients were left stranded at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital on Monday after doctors and nurses boycotted work, citing various grievances over allowances, medical cover and promotions.
The doctors, who went home after staging their demonstration at the hospital's administration block, said they had no option but to stay away from work as their grievances had long been ignored.
Addressing the medical officers, Dr Vincent Oyiengo, who represents KU staff under the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), said they were demanding an improvement in their working environment and expected the hospital management to address their grievances.
Majority of the staff, Dr Oyiengo said, started work in 2019 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. And even though the number of services and patients visiting the hospital has increased significantly over the years, the staff have not been promoted and their welfare has not been taken care of.
“We, the KUTRRH employees, demand that the CEO of KUTRRH, acknowledge the receipt of this petition and commit to addressing the grievance and implementing the resolutions arising from the petition,” he said.
Even before they were asked to resume their duties, the medics said three bare minimums had to be implemented. These include the immediate reinstatement of their medical cover, the dissolution of the hospital's board of directors, which they say “meddles in the day-to-day running of the hospital, and the reinstatement of CEO Ahmed Dagane, who was sent on forced annual leave and replaced by Isaac Kamau."
The medics also accused the hospital management of failing to properly identify and align the job grades of its staff and demanded the publication of the human resources manual for easy reference.
They also want the hospital's board of directors to clarify its stance on sexual harassment in the workplace, which they say has continued unabated despite numerous reports by victims to the relevant authorities.
“The persistent silence on this matter has not only emboldened the perpetrators but has also resulted in untold suffering to the victims, some of whom have suffered mental breakdowns and poor performance at work," Dr Oyiengo said.
Some are employed on permanent and pensionable contracts, others on five-year or three-year contracts, some on short-term contracts and others on locum basis.
This discrimination, they say, not only pits staff against each other, but also denies those on contract and locums the opportunity to grow financially and professionally, resulting in low morale and reduced output.
The medics want their health care to be improved and have asked management to provide a functioning staff clinic. They also want medical bill waivers for critical care, oncology, diagnostic and imaging, major surgery and dialysis where the cost of treatment exceeds in-patient insurance coverage.
In the event of death, they want the hospital to provide transport for staff to pay their respects.
The workers also demanded a clear policy on how to deal with sick-offs, public holidays, bereavement and the like in accordance with the guidelines of the Public Service Commission. As part of improving their welfare, they want functional call rooms per ward and a fully equipped doctors' lounge per ward where they can consult with their peers while being closer to patients for clock reviews and attending to emergencies.
For his part, Justin Kinoti, who represented the staff under the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), said the hospital management should draw up a clear organogram showing who reports to whom and for what to avoid the confusion that has been seen between the nursing and clinical services directorates.
Mr Kinoti said there had been numerous cases where nurses had been given the wrong titles, resulting in discrepancies in job responsibilities, pay scales and career progression.
Despite the fact that nurses are the bulwark of the hospital's workforce, they complained of continued high-handedness on the part of management, who tend to believe patients' relatives rather than nurses, who are "never given a chance to defend themselves".
“Woe unto you if you are a locum nurse. You will be dismissed there and then without any fair hearing. This has contributed to a high turnover, low staff morale and even resignation from work by the nurses,” he said.
By being denied the opportunity to further their education, the nurses said they have minimal opportunities for career advancement and want the hospital's management to address the barriers to their advancement.
The workers at the referral hospital also demanded the establishment of a doctors' plaza to cater for the needs of patients who prefer to be treated in the private wing, as this will generate more revenue for the hospital.
They are also demanding the immediate payment of allowances, including uniform allowance for nurses and doctors, risk allowance, leave allowance at one month's basic salary or CBA rates, and radiation exposure allowance for all staff working in radiology and related departments.
The staff also want the establishment of a research, ethics and review committee, the immediate lifting of the ban on research at the hospital, and the facilitation of staff participation in clinical research.
