The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has postponed its planned protest in Kiambu to October 13 Monday to enable greater involvement from the partners and the stakeholders.
In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, the union reported that the protest, previously set on Wednesday, October 8, has been delayed so that there might be better coordination and wider participation in the continued pursuit of accountability and improved working conditions for healthcare workers.
“The change is intended to ensure broader participation, effective coordination, and meaningful engagement with all the stakeholders as we continue to demand accountability and decent working conditions for doctors and quality healthcare for Kenyans,” the union stated.
KMPDU said it remains committed to the defense of medical staff rights and the enhancement of quality healthcare standards at public hospitals.
The action comes against the backdrop of the worsening healthcare crisis in Kiambu, with the doctors’ strike already five months old since its May 26 kickoff.
The county’s public health facilities remain crippled, forcing patients to seek treatment elsewhere or abandon healthcare.
The government redeployed last week all 697 medical interns who had been assigned to Kiambu health facilities after months of no action in starting their placements.
The interns were set to begin working on July 1 but had remained idle even as the stalemate then prevailed.
On Monday, October 6, the union also threatened a national strike in under three weeks, escalating its war against the Council of Governors (CoG).
The impasse took an emotional turn after the union accused the governors of ignoring reports that at least 136 babies had died in Kiambu due to the prolonged strike.
The CoG and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi had earlier stated that the county’s healthcare system was intact and that doctors and nurses were occupying posts a statement vehemently denied by the union.
“The Kiambu health function is functioning, and we actually do have doctors in all the facilities,” Abdullahi stated in his release, blaming KMPDU for politicizing the matter.
However, the union fired back, calling the governors’ response “callous and insensitive.”.
For 131 days, patients the very wananchi who pay your hefty salaries have suffered in dilapidated facilities with the hallmark of plunder and watched-over sabotage of our public health system,” KMPDU said. “Your collective response to this human crisis is one of utmost indifference and inexcusable hypocrisy.”.
The federation also called out the governors for hypocrisy, claiming most of them get treated in private or foreign hospitals while the ordinary Kenyan continues to toil in struggling public hospitals.
With the tensions mounting, the question now is whether next week’s protest will proceed and whether it will return the government and counties to the negotiating table.
