Health crisis looms in Machakos as doctors set to go on strike next week

Patients in Machakos County will not be able to access medical services in all public health facilities this coming week after doctors and clinicians announced a strike starting from Wednesday.

The health workers had issued a two-week notice, but to date they say the county has not addressed their key issues, which they say they have been pushing for over the past two years.

They are advocating for specialists across all cadres to be redesignated appropriately and promoted, implementation of a return-to-work formula, as well as the provision of a comprehensive medical cover for all health workers which should be commensurate before the transition from NHIF to SHIF.

Addressing the media outside the Machakos level five hospital on Saturday, KMPDU Eastern Region Chairperson Dr. Charles Okumu blamed the county government for ignoring their demands, stating that this neglect has led to doctors who are due for promotions performing tasks that do not match their job description.

He warned patients including those from neighbouring counties who depend on health services from Machakos County that they will not be attended to since their employer has refused to take care of their issues.

Bonface Mitambo, Chairperson of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) Machakos chapter, said that from Tuesday midnight services will grind to halt as they will advice their members to down their tools if the county will not have addressed their demands.

They stated that after two years of unproductive boardroom meetings with the county to discuss their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), they have reached their limit.

Donald Mutiso, Secretary General of the Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union, asserts that they have been using their own resources to address public health issues within communities, saying this effort is crucial for disease prevention at the village level, hence faulting the county for failing to provide adequate transportation mechanisms.

Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti, after an exercise to sign performance contracts for county officials on Friday, ordered the public service board to promptly work on promotions.

County Secretary Muya Ndambuki confirmed to have received the doctors’ strike notice saying they have always engaged them, accusing the health practitioners of declaring their issues public before the lapse of the date of their notice.

He urged them to halt their strike and engage him cordially.