The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has condemned the interdiction of the Chief Executive Officer of Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital (CGTRH), terming the move politically motivated and a threat to professional independence in public health facilities.
Addressing the press in Nairobi, KMPDU Secretary General (SG) Dr Davji Atellah noted that the decision by the County Government of Mombasa was procedurally flawed and unfairly targeted a doctor over what he described as systemic failures within the health system.
Dr. Atellah revealed that the interdiction letter from the county secretary accused the CEO of ‘deliberately failing, refusing and neglecting’ to provide care to a patient and failing to advocate for the patient’s admission. However, he dismissed the claims as baseless.
“When you look at the medical report by the neurosurgeon who was handling the patient, this was a patient receiving emergency services in the ICU. I do not know what they mean by lack of emergency services when the patient was being supported in intensive care,” the SG implored.
Additionally, he maintained that doctors are constitutionally obligated under Article 43 to prioritise saving lives regardless of financial considerations, stressing that administrative and billing matters are not the responsibility of clinicians during emergencies.
“Saving life is paramount to any other financial implication. The chronology outlined by the treating team clearly shows the patient was being managed,” Atellah established, accusing county officials of relying on ‘one side of a politically motivated narrative’.
He further argued that the interdiction bypassed due process, including the failure to issue a show-cause letter and the exclusion of the County Public Service Board, which he said holds disciplinary authority over county officers.
According to the SG, the union was concerned that systemic shortcomings including inadequate equipment, drug shortages and understaffing were being shifted onto individual practitioners.
Concurrently, Deputy Secretary General Dr Miskellah Dennis warned that continued politicization of hospital management risks exposing doctors to hostility and insecurity.
“We must stop this now. Let politicians fix the broken healthcare system, employ enough staff, provide drugs and equipment and allow doctors to treat patients. If they want to run the facilities themselves, let them do so,” Dr. Miskellah lamented.
He cautioned that public vilification of doctors over systemic failures could erode morale and create a dangerous working environment for healthcare workers.
In the meantime, KMPDU issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Mombasa County Government to reinstate the CEO and address outstanding labour concerns, failure to which it threatened industrial action.
“When you touch one doctor, you destroy the confidence of others handling patients in that hospital. Our work is to build the dignity and confidence of doctors in the service they provide,” Dr. Atellah reaffirmed.
Notably, the union also raised concerns over alleged corruption at the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), accusing some members of soliciting bribes from doctors and patients in handling professional complaints.
Dr. Atellah, on the other hand, reiterated that over 90 percent of reported negligence cases stem from systemic failures rather than individual malpractice and called for urgent reforms at the regulatory body.
“Every reported negligence case must be handled transparently and conclusively. You cannot have cases pending for years while money exchanges hands,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, KMPDU said it remains open to dialogue but insisted that professional expertise must not be undermined by political interference.
by Naif Rashid
