Patient dies as doctors' strike paralyses operations
Dec 5, 2011. http://www.standardmedia.co.ke. By Standard Team
Medical services in Government hospitals countrywide were paralysed as doctors downed their tools to push for better pay.
At the Coast Provincial General Hospital a patient died after he was left unattended to following the strike.
Ms Mwanapili Suleiman, daughter to the deceased said she watched her father die as there no doctor to attend to him."Trainees tried to diagnose my father but were helpless as he died," Suleiman said, as she cried.
All public hospitals at the Coast were affected. The doctors are pushing for a 300 percent pay hike.In Kericho County, services in Government hospitals were paralysed.
The doctors who are members of Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacist and Dentist Union, Kericho chapter took to the streets in Kericho town to push the government to improve their terms of service.
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Doctors'
strike has paralysed operations in Government hospitals. The doctors
are pushing for 300% pay hike, [Photo: Standard]
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In Nyeri,
doctors joined their colleagues by paralysing operations in all public
health facilities in the region. About 40 medical practitioners from Nyeri County marched from the Provincial General hospital to the provincial headquarters in what they termed as ‘Operation Linda Afya’.
The
doctors waving placards and twigs marched to the provincial
headquarters where they pitched camp before being addressed by
Provincial Director for Medical Services Gichunya M’Riara.
Efforts
by the director to prevail upon them to return to their workstations
fell on deaf years as they vowed not to continue with the strike.
Patients
in the hospital were left in the care of nurses, while those who were
brought in seeking specialised medical attention were turned away.
More than 50 doctors in Kisumu also downed their tools to press for better pay as the central organisation of trade union (Cotu) backed them asking the state to address their plight.
Operations at the District and Nyanza provincial general hospitals were grounded.
Cotu
secretary general Francis Atwoli asked the Government to consider
increasing the remuneration for medical officers to motivate them.
"The
government has increased prices of fuel 14 times within a year
and the impact on the high cost on the economy and to individuals is
enormous," Atwoli said.
Similar situations were reported at various hospitals in the country.
At the Rift Valley General Hospital services were brought to near stand still.
A survey in Nakuru
and its environs confirmed that as soon as the doctors were through
with a joint demonstration, they all rushed to private hospitals to
attend to those admitted their.
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