Doctors to hold demos over corruption at KNH

Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Health

Medical workers will today hold a peaceful protest over mismanagement at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

“This is to notify you that KMPDU will be having an assembly and peaceful demonstration at the Accident & Emergency Department on 25th August. 2021 at 9.00 am. The demonstration is a show of displeasure in your leadership, unfair dismissal of doctors in post-graduate training, unfair engagement of doctors on contract in KNH despite it being against KNH Manual and blatant refusal to obey court orders,” Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union’s statement said in part

KNH has been in the limelight over bad working conditions that drive medical workers to suicide.

In June 2021, a female doctor killed herself in the hospital’s parking lot.

Lydia Wahura penned a suicide note that spoke of horrors at the hospital. The sensitivity of the matter does not allow the publishing of the suicide note.

KMPDU is a Trade Union Registration Number TU/158 that represents all the Medical Practitioners.

Recently, we exposed the corruption in procurement and the neglected medical workers who die in painful circumstances thanks to the hospital’s bad management.

The below article speaks of profits over service

Exposed: Neglect at KNH as mistreated medical workers die in droves

The management at KNH only know one language, that of kickbacks and looting

KNH Insurance Scandal: Whistleblower now seeks EACC’s help after procurement oversight body compromised

Efforts by doctors to address the issues at the hospital have borne know fruits as things get from bad to worse.

In 2019, cnyakundi.com covered the six issues that need to be addressed at KNH, but to this very day, the problems persist.

The six issues are:

Discrimination: Despite having same qualifications, working same hours and same job; those on contracts are paid less than half of the permanent and pensionable i.e. diploma nurses are all employed at entry level as nursing officer lll if under contract you will earn 50k pm if under PnP you earn 102k pm working same hours same qualifications.
Delays in Salaries: As if that’s not mistreatment enough; salaries of Employees under contract delay for two sometimes even three months when PnP get paid latest 5th every month. There is even a joke that goes round ati watu wa contract wanalipwa na pesa yenye inaokotwa as parking fee so lazima wa PnP walipwe ndio waje na magari walipie parking ndio wa contract
Health Cover: The health cover of employees on contract does not extend to family or spouse; it only covers admission to general wards. The PnP staff on the other hand have a health cover for them and family with admission to private wing covered. Despite this you find NHIF cover for contract staff not remitted despite being deducted and you end up paying for hospital services for dependants on NHIF.
UNPAID MATERNITY LEAVE: KNH has an unpaid maternity leave policy for staff on contract. This is unbelievable that in a country with 47 women reps and other elected women leaders, several hundreds of feminist organizations and in an institution whose CEO is a medical Doctor. Maybe only Boychild President can save the situation Employed under contract. How can one survive three months without a salary? This is a depression inducing situation; it drives out passion for this jobs.
Useless Contracts: Despite a KNH admitting there was a shortage of 1000 nurses and a directive issued by parliament that KNH should employ over 800 nurses it has employed less than 100 and put other like 500 under slavery contracts. The six months contracts where your in-charge sends appraisals every two months so you must play to his/her tune? This is slavery I tell you. Even the government had recommended three year contracts and didn’t say salaries to be lower than permanent and pensionable anyway. This is discrimination.
Leave Days: Annual leave for contract employees is 10 working days in a 6 month contract translating to 20 days in a year, no emergency leave, no paternity leave, sick leave is unpaid, no compassionate leave I mean it is so frustrating working under contract employment in KENYATTA NATIONAL HOSPITAL. It’s a shame.

We hope the peaceful demonstrations will continue until such a time when things will start to work at KNH. But first, the management and board must be fired.