Public hospitals in Isiolo County are set to face major disruptions after doctors officially began a strike, accusing the county government of failing to address long-standing issues affecting healthcare workers.
The industrial action began after the 21-day notice issued by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) expired, with no agreement reached between doctors and the county government.
Union officials say they have spent months pushing the county administration to address issues affecting doctors, but their efforts have not yielded results.
Speaking during the announcement of the strike, KMPDU Upper Eastern Branch Chairperson Dr Kananu Kubai said doctors had been pushed to the wall by salary delays, failure to remit statutory deductions and poor working conditions.
From her own observations, she noted that even some of the doctors have been coming to work while they have not been paid for months.
“We have tried engaging the county government on this matter but have not been able to reach anything constructive so far,” she said.
Furthermore, Dr Kubai alleged that some of the doctors have had to put up with threats of being fired for expressing themselves over welfare concerns.
In anticipation of the impending strikes, the union advised patients requiring medical services to seek treatment from private hospitals outside Isiolo County.
This move is expected to affect patients, as many of them use the public hospitals located within Isiolo County for treatment.
In addition to this statement, Dr Dima Adan, a gynecologist based in Isiolo, was present for the statement and made his displeasure known through complaints of neglect over the years by the government towards healthcare workers.
According to Dr Adan, he has remained within the same job group for 13 years since he started his practice and yet he continues to work in the same capacity and even earns the same salary.
The main cause behind the strike by the doctors, according to him, is the absence of promotions and advancement opportunities in their career, which has led to feelings of demoralisation.
“There hasn’t been any career growth for many of us despite having served for several years now,” he added.
It’s also clear that the striking doctors do not take their strike lightly, given the effects that it will have on their patients. Nevertheless, they believe the problems faced by health care professionals are issues that cannot be ignored anymore.
With hundreds of patients in limbo regarding treatment, the onus is now on the county government to find a quick solution to the problem.
Many of the residents depending on the public hospitals expect discussions between the doctors and the county administration to start soon and sort out their problems.
