Patients stranded in Nairobi as nurses, lab technicians join health workers’ strike

Health services in Nairobi have been completely paralysed after nurses and laboratory technicians joined clinicians and doctors in the ongoing strike.

The industrial action by all cadres of health workers, over what they term incessant salary delays, has forced cash-strapped hospital administrators to engage medics on a locum basis to keep services running.

Some say they are being forced to choose between buying drugs and other medical commodities for their facilities and paying doctors.

The Nairobi County government has termed the strike illegal and directed healthcare workers to resume work within 12 hours or face disciplinary action.

First to down their tools were doctors, who have been on strike since December 18. Clinical officers soon followed on December 23, and 25 days later, nurses and laboratory technicians have also downed their tools, effectively declaring a total shutdown by all healthcare workers in Nairobi County.

Hospitals such as Mbagathi Level 5 Hospital have been straining under the weight of the industrial action. Being a referral hospital, the facility is unable to keep up with the influx of patients.

The aftermath is evident in long queues with minimal to no service and deserted hallways as doctors and nurses stay away.

At Mutuini sub-county hospital in Dagoretti South, patients can still access healthcare, but at a great financial cost to the facility’s management, which has been forced to engage medics on locum to ensure services continue.

“One of the things that has really affected us as an institution is having to look for money to pay locum staff so they can sustain us during this strike. We have deliberately put some doctors on locum. We have four doctors on locum and three anaesthetists for theatre, so our theatre is operational 24 hours, and we are able to handle all emergency cases,” said Mutuini sub-county hospital CEO Dr Martin Wafula.

Healthcare workers in Nairobi have accused Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration of consistently failing to address their welfare, leading to recurring and protracted strikes and significant disruptions to public health services.

Patients most impacted by the strike are those living with chronic illnesses.

“One of the other things we are worried about is patients with chronic diseases because we are not able to access consultants, since they are also on strike. That has a ripple effect on their health, and we will have to come up with systems to mitigate this once the strike is over,” Dr Wafula added.

The Sakaja administration has urged the striking workers to resume duty and issued ultimatums threatening disciplinary action.

However, union officials maintain they will not return to work until all outstanding payments are cleared and their grievances are addressed with tangible action.

They say the Sakaja administration has precipitated more industrial action by healthcare workers than previous administrations.