Woman, son die as medics snub work

 

Family members gather at Shadrack Bilinda's Matulo village home to plan burial arrangements for his wife and son who died on Tuesday at Lugulu Mission Hospital in Webuye. They add to the growing number of causalities of the ongoing nurses and clinical officers nationwide strike. [Willie Khaemba, Standard]

A woman and her son who could not get specialised treatment at a Bungoma health facility owing to a nationwide strike by medics have died.

The woman died at Lugulu Mission Hospital on Tuesday, hours before her son followed.

Shadrack Bilinda said his wife, Rose, and son, Martin, could not get specialised care at the Lugulu hospital. The two had been undergoing treatment at Webuye County Hospital until the strike started.

“I transferred them to Lugulu Mission Hospital due to the strike, but they died,” he said.

Earlier, Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati told striking healthcare workers that most of the grievances they raised could only be addressed by the national government.

In Kakamega, the striking healthcare workers defied Governor Wycliffe Oparanya’s appeal to resume duty.

Talks between the county administration and the medics collapsed mid-way.

Kenya National Union of Nurses, Kakamega branch secretary Renson Bulunya, said their demands were never addressed.

In Busia, the county government wants medics employed under Universal Health Care (UHC), laboratory technologists and doctors who are not on strike to report to work and provide medical services.

This is after a meeting between deputy governor Moses Mulomi and officials of various health workers' unions held on Tuesday at the Busia County Referral Hospital failed to break the deadlock.

The union officials remained adamant that they have no power to call off the ongoing strike since it was called by their national officials.