Embu doctors issue 21-day strike notice due to poor working conditions
Embu County doctors have issued a 21-day strike notice due to poor working conditions.
Led by Kenya Medical Pharmacist and Dentist Union Secretary General Dr. Davji Atella, they accused the county government of failing to equip health facilities with drugs and equipment to enable doctors to work effectively.
“Embu doctors are at work to supervise deaths; they are struggling because they are not supported by the county government; they don’t have drugs in the hospitals; they don’t have the equipment; and they are worried as they give the services they are trained to do; they are there to supervise deaths; they are there to refer patients to other counties,” said Dr. Atella on August 07.
Attella added that the medics are also poorly paid and the county had failed to remit statutory deductions for the doctors, leading to many of them losing property to auctioneers.
He further claimed that the doctors are subjected to arbitrary contracts that they do not know when they will expire, saying the behaviour by the county government was jeopardising carrier progression.
The union leader observed that Embu County has only eight doctors and a deficit of about 300 doctors, calling on the county leadership to move with speed and address the challenge.
His sentiments were echoed by Dr. Dennis Mugambi, who is the chairman of KMPDU in the Upper East, who said doctors in Embu County have not been promoted for the last ten years.
“We thought we would see change, but it’s all in vain,” he said.
They urged locals to consider seeking medical services in neighbouring counties or private hospitals if the county government would not meet their demands.