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Patients walk out of Nakuru Level 5 Hospital on Thursday. Photo: Suleiman Mbatiah/Standard
Dozens of patients forced their way out of a Nakuru hospital as the countrywide nurses strike entered its fourth day Thursday.
And in Kisumu, a 14-year-old rape victim died as arrangements were being made for her to be transferred to Nairobi Women's Hospital.
Veronica Achieng had been admitted to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital but was discharged due to the ongoing nurses strike.
She died shortly after being discharged.
She was scheduled to undergo a third surgery in less than a year for injuries sustained from the rape ordeal.
Her father, accused of the rape, has spent one year at Kodiaga prison remand while her mother is suffering from depression after being held in police custody for failing to testify against her husband in the case.
The referral hospital's chief executive officer, Peter Okoth, said the girl died as efforts were being made to save her life.
"The patient was to be transferred to Nakuru but we later ruled it out because of her condition. We were working on procedures to save her life in our theater but her condition suddenly deteriorated and she died," said Dr Okoth.
At the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital, more than 30 patients locked up in the wards fought their way out as the nurses strike continued.
Though most of the patients from Ward 10 had fractures on various parts of their bodies, that did not deter them from leaving the facility.
The hospital had refused to transfer them due to pending bills.
"We cannot accept to live like prisoners at the hospital where we are not being attended to. Do you people want us to die as you watch?" posed David Mwangi with a fracture on his right leg.
At the Kapenguria County Hospital in West Pokot, operations remained grounded, as private hospitals within Makutano town received dozens of patients.
Some of the cleaning officers said many of the patients were discharged on Monday and they had been instructed to remove all the mattresses from the beds.
Only doctors were seen attending to patients and some who needed the services of nurses were turned away.
Nurses at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital also continued with the strike. "We are not going to work until all our grievances are addressed.
The Government has taken us for granted for so long," said one of the nurses.
In Nyeri, there were reports of nurses in some public hospitals charging extra fees to attend to patients. Mercy Okiwo, a mother of three, told The Standard that she was asked to part with Sh200.
"When I said I did not have the requested money, they told me to go home with my children and come back with the money," she said.
In Meru, close to 400 patients have been evacuated from the local referral hospital. Mission hospitals are overwhelmed by the number of patients transferred from county health facilities.
Meanwhile the Kakamega government is pleading with striking nurses to return to work after two adults and an eight-year-old child died at the county referral hospital.
Deputy Governor Philip Kutima said they were ready to listen to the grievances of the nurses and sign a CBA to end the current stalemate.
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