Free emergency services as private hospitals prepare for Saba Saba

RUPHA chairman Brian Lishenga said emergency care is a constitutional right and must be provided to all individuals in need. [File, Standard] Private hospitals across the country will provide free emergency medical services within the first 24 hours during the Saba Saba commemoration, the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) has announced. RUPHA chairman Brian Lishenga said emergency care is a constitutional right and must be provided to all individuals in need. He emphasized that healthcare workers should be allowed to perform their duties without interference during the commemorative events. Dr Lishenga called on private hospitals to avail ambulances to support referrals for patients who may require specialised care. He further noted that the Social Health Authority (SHA) has assured hospitals of compensation for services offered, under the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund. "Anyone injured during the protests will receive care within the first 24 hours, as stipulated in the Constitution," he said. Among those to receive care are those who will sustain injuries, including pregnant mothers in need of deliveries. The emergency services will be provided within hospital facilities, while the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) will set up field treatment sites. Dr Lishenga expressed hope that no serious injuries will occur, urging both the public and security agencies to exercise restraint. "In the past, protestors, healthcare workers and even security personnel have been injured or maimed during demonstrations," he noted. "We hope there will be no casualties, and that both the public and police will act with restraint and show respect for life and property," he added. He also appealed to the police to guarantee the safety of medical personnel on the ground. "We urge the police to protect designated healthcare workers who will be on standby to attend to demonstrators, bystanders and security officers," said Dr Lishenga. However, he raised concerns about the safety of healthcare workers, particularly in Nairobi, citing past incidents where police arrested patients receiving treatment and fired tear gas and live ammunition into health facilities. "Such actions undermine the sanctity of healthcare spaces. We hope this does not happen again," he warned. Lishenga further pleaded with police not to block ambulances and vehicles ferrying patients to hospital. Blocking roads and vehicles, he said is likely to contribute to deaths and worsen health conditions of patients in need of care. Meanwhile, Bunge La Mwananchi has called on traders in Nairobi and other major towns to shut down their businesses today to allow room for demonstrators to mark Saba Saba day. Speaking in Nairobi, the organisation's president Francis Awino called on the public to come out in large numbers and participate in peaceful demonstrations in honour of the day. Every year July 7, is remembered as the day when nation-wide protests took place in 1990 agitating for multi-party democracy. The protests, which were met with brutal police crackdown, marked a turning point in the country's political history and led to the eventual repeal of Section 2A of the Constitution in 1991. "This year's Saba Saba marks not just a day in history, but a reflection of today's struggles, youth unemployment, police brutality, and the high cost of living," said Awino. He asked elderly people and children to monitor events from their homes, but encouraged the youth and all able bodied Kenyans to come out and demand what is rightfully theirs.

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