Nairobi Hospital workers threaten strike over governance crisis

Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists' Union Secretary General Davji Atellah. [Edward Kiplimo,Standard]

Nairobi Hospital workers have issued a seven-day strike notice, citing mistreatment, financial mismanagement and unmet promises by hospital management.

The strike is set to begin on December 17.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists' Union (KMPDU) has called for the resignation of the hospital's board of directors, accusing them of overseeing a "crisis in governance" and mismanaging the institution.

"We have tried to engage the management to a point of going to court and getting a favorable ruling but the management have decided to disobey the courts and we have filed for contempt proceedings. As such we have decided that we shall mobilize our members and go on strike in the next seven days,"KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah said in a statement on Tuesday, December 10.

"All workers of Nairobi hospital, not just medical doctors. Members of KMPDU, the Admitting Staff Association (Doctors) at the Nairobi Hospital and the Kenya Hospital Association, thus hereby issue the following statement to the general membership of the Kenya Hospital Association who own the hospital, the members of the Admitting Staff Association (Doctors) of the Nairobi Hospital and the general public."

This comes amid a deepening crisis at the hospital, driven by management wrangles.

Some stakeholders are calling for the resignation of the board as tensions over the governance of the facility continue to rise.

The union said while new patient admissions will cease, medical staff will continue to attend to patients already in the wards, as well as those in private clinics and emergency cases.

The workers' decision to down tools is reportedly aimed at forcing the resignation of the hospital's board.

Adding to the complexity, a group of "progressive members" of the Kenya Hospital Association (KHA), which owns the hospital, has called for an Extraordinary General Meeting to address the ongoing issues.

The Nairobi Hospital, with a history dating back to 1954, has long been a cornerstone of healthcare in East Africa.

However, the current situation is the result of longstanding management issues, including allegations of corruption in the procurement department.

The hospital has also experienced a high turnover of chief executive officers, some serving less than three years before being replaced.