Faith Nyasuguta
Kenyan doctors have intensified their nationwide strike, suspending emergency services at public hospitals for the second week in protest of poor pay and working conditions.
Despite a court order for dialogue, the government’s inaction prompted the escalation, according to Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union Secretary-General Dr. Davji Bhimji.
“In the morning, we managed to close the emergency services that were being offered at the Kenyatta national referral hospital,” he told journalists on Wednesday.
Health Minister Susan Nakhumicha vowed to address the crisis by recruiting temporary replacements for striking doctors, ensuring uninterrupted healthcare services. Emergency services at the Kenyatta National Referral Hospital resumed after initial suspension.
“We will not allow a crisis to happen… We cannot afford to have a gap,” the minister said, adding that doctors were offered temporary replacements starting Wednesday night.
The Ministry of Health plans to deploy 1,000 medical interns to hospitals nationwide, aiming to mitigate the strike’s impact. The doctors’ strike follows grievances over unfulfilled promises, including a 2017 collective bargaining agreement, which ended in fatalities due to lack of care during a previous strike.
Efforts to resolve the impasse include scheduled talks between the union, ministry officials, and State House representatives.
Meanwhile, the strike persists, depriving thousands of Kenyans of essential public health services, emphasising the urgent need for resolution.
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