MTRH workers issue seven day strike ultimatum over welfare funding crisis

MTRH employees including doctors, nurses, lab technologists and others during a demonstration in Eldoret Uasin Gishu County. [Peter Ochieng, Standard].

Health workers at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) have issued a one-week strike ultimatum to the government, citing worsening working conditions, non-remittance of statutory deductions, and severe underfunding of the facility.

Addressing the media on Tuesday in Eldoret, union representatives drawn from various health sector bodies warned that services at the country’s second-largest referral hospital would be paralysed if their grievances are not addressed within seven days.

Beatrice Chelule of the Kenya National Union of Nurses, while speaking on behalf of nurses, said staff were working under extremely difficult conditions, including a lack of medical cover and essential supplies.

“We want it to be clear that we are not doing the demos on the influence of anybody, it’s only about the wealthcare workers who are forced to cater for their own treatment due to lack of insurance, patients are not receiving adequate services because of shortages. The institution is in crisis and requires urgent government intervention if this government is really serious about the well-being of us,” Said Chelule

Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) branch secretary Dr. Edwin Rono said the strike notice follows months of unsuccessful negotiations with hospital management.

“Why doesn’t the management recognise our work? What we are seeing is just a pure ball game because we have been holding numerous meetings that have never yielded any fruit. To make it serious, statutory deductions and loan repayments have not been remitted for over six months, while pension arrears have accumulated to billions. Staff retiring today are leaving empty-handed,” Dr. Rono wondered

“The hospital is grappling with acute understaffing, noting that failure to replace workers exiting through retirement and attrition has left remaining staff overstretched.

MTRH employees including doctors, nurses, lab technologists and others during a demonstration in Eldoret Uasin Gishu County. [Peter Ochieng, Standard].

KUDHEIHA chairman Japheth Keitany attributed the crisis to significant budget cuts, saying the reduction in funding had crippled hospital operations and eroded staff morale.

He said that the institution had earlier performed exemplary services but is now struggling due to reduced funding, arguing that the workers are demoralised, especially those nearing retirement without assurance of their benefits.

Stephen Tanui, Representatives from the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUMLO), also decried the non-remittance of deductions, saying financial institutions had begun pursuing staff directly for unpaid loans.

Union officials further warned that key hospital services, including critical care units and some operating theatres, have either been closed or scaled down due to a lack of resources.

The same message was also attributed by Dr. Darwin Ambuka, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union North Rift Vice Chairperson, who said health workers are facing financial distress due to unremitted statutory deductions.

Ambuka revealed the ongoing disagreement had caused the staff to suffer heavily, leaving many unable to meet basic needs and eroding confidence in management and the government.

“For how long are we going to waste time demonstrating while scores of people lack medical services just because few individuals. We can no longer continue working under conditions that push us into poverty. Unless immediate corrective action is taken, we will proceed with the strike as planned, and that is one week break,” he added

They called on the government to urgently inject additional funding into the hospital, with some leaders proposing at least Sh5 billion to stabilise operations and restore essential services.

The unions also urged the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale, to visit the facility and assess the situation firsthand.

“As a union, we have issued the government with a seven-day ultimatum to address our grievances, but this should be a warning that failure to act will result in a total shutdown of services at the facility.