Health services across Embu County continue being crippled after striking doctors vowed to stay put until their grievances with regard to poor working conditions are fully met
The doctors went on strike on Monday this week alongside other county workers hampering service delivery in all sectors of the county government.
They said the county had reneged on implementation of a signed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) earlier this year seeking to address their welfare issues.
Among their grievances are stagnation, non-remittance of statutory deductions, poor pay for locum doctors and lack of medical supplies in hospitals.
Led by Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) National Deputy Secretary General Dr Denis Miskellah, the medics said they cannot continue to render services to patients while their welfare issues continue being ignored by the employer.
Speaking during a press briefing in Embu Town on Friday, Dr Miskellah accused the employer of ignoring the plight of doctors who have been working under difficult circumstances for years amid empty promises.
He said some of their members have stagnated at one job group for years, which affects their morale and output while locum doctors who offer services to fill staffing gaps continue working on poor pay for years with no conversion into permanent terms.
At the same time, the official said hospitals continue grappling with inadequate supply of drugs and they have been forced to keep sending patients away to buy drugs out of their own pocket.
He said despite SHA receiving overwhelming support from residents, it is unfortunate that they cannot secure prescribed services in hospitals in the county owing to perennial shortage of medical supplies.
“Our work has been to prescribe and dispense hope to patients as we send them away to buy drugs outside,” he lamented.
By Samuel Waititu
