Coast General Hospital grinds to a halt as staff down tools

Patients lie in beds unattended at the Coast General Hospital due to the ongoing strike by doctors and nurses. (Photo: Gideon Maundu/Standard)

Mombasa, Kenya: A four-day-old baby boy with a defective rectum is among the 300 patients admitted at the Coast General Hospital with no medical assistance due to a go-slow by health workers at the infirmary.

Nurses at the hospital have been on strike for a week, protesting lack of supplies and non-payment of their July salaries.

The Standard learnt that intern doctors and clinical officers have downed their tools since the beginning of August to protest non-payment of their stipend for four months.

The minor, Islam Said, was battling for his life at the hospital’s casualty ward Monday, with the number of deaths at the facility since the strike began having risen to four after a road accident victim died Monday morning.

Medical experts say the condition of the infant, who was born at the same hospital, is referred to as impersonated anus and Mombasa County Chief Medical Officer Khadija Shikely said he required multiple operation to rectify the anomaly.

Dismissed claims

She said since the strike began, four people have died at the facility but dismissed claims that the deaths were due to the strike.

“All those that have died were referral cases. The one that died this morning (Monday) was an accident victim,” said Dr Shikely Monday.

The medics Monday said Baby Said’s condition had worsened, forcing the hospital’s chief administrator Dr Bernard Mwero to announce that he would personally carry out the multiple operation to open up the anus.

“I delivered the baby here on Thursday morning and though the nurses detected the anomaly, we were discharged because the medical staff had started the strike. On Friday the baby’s stomach started to swell and the stool began to come out through the month,” said the baby’s mother Mbeyu Kijanga.

Mombasa County Executive of Health Binti Omar said the baby will undergo an X-ray and operation carried out and, if necessary, he will be transferred to a private hospital for specialised treatment.

But even as the skeleton staff contemplated saving the minor’s life, they face another problem as the hospital lacks drugs and other essential supplies.

“The county government is broke. All employees, including the governor, have not been paid,” said Ms Omar.

Relatives and friends of those admitted at the facility were rushing to the hospital to take their loved ones home or transfer them elsewhere for treatment.

Hospital staff estimate that more than 50 patients visit the facility every day when the operations are normal.

Monday the nurses’ union was holed up in a meeting and despite assurances from their representatives that they were not on strike, it emerged they had defied the official position and downed their tools.