KMPDU demands better working environments after intern doctor dies by suicide

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has demanded for better work environments for healthcare workers following the demise of Dr. Desree Moraa Obwogi.

Dr. Moraa, who worked as an intern at Gatundu Level 5 Hospital, was found dangling on her balcony with a rope tied around her neck on Sunday night.

A suicide note found beside her body attributed the reasons to a stressful working environment and personal struggles. 

In a statement issued on Tuesday, KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah demanded for a healthcare system that prioritises workers' mental well-being and ensures fair compensation to prevent exploitation.

"Dr. Moraa’s death is a sad but glaring manifestation of our country’s broken healthcare system that feeds on the unpaid and underpaid labor of young doctors and continues to undermine their safety and basic human rights," he said.

"A workplace should not make workers feel so isolated and desperate that they believe there is no way out. The system as designed failed Dr. Moraa and many others who we have mourned before. It is a dangerous system that will continue to wreak havoc on the lives of healthcare workers."

The KMPDU boss added: “We owe it to Dr. Moraa and to every healthcare worker in this country to demand for work environments that prioritize workers mental well-being, ensure timely and fair compensation, and hold accountable those who perpetuate abuse and exploitation.”

The healthcare system has experienced significant disruptions after doctors went on strike demanding for better working conditions.

These included providing a comprehensive medical cover for medics, clearing unpaid salaries and improving interns' pay.

After a strike that lasted nearly two months, the doctors agreed to return to work, after agreeing to a deal that will involve the government settling the arrears by the next financial year.