Public hospitals in Nairobi and several other parts of the country continued to operate normally on Tuesday despite the commencement of a nationwide health workers' strike, with patients reporting little or no disruption to services.
A spot check by The Standard at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, Makadara Level Four Hospital and Pumwani Maternity Hospital found health workers on duty and patients receiving treatment, with no visible signs of disruption on the first day of the industrial action.
Similar reports were received from other parts of the country, where county hospitals also continued to offer services despite the strike announcement.
The strike was announced on Monday by Peterson Wachira, Chairperson of the Health Union Caucus and National Chairperson of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers, who accused county governments of failing to address long-standing grievances raised by healthcare workers.
"We had issued a 21-day notice, followed by a 14-day strike notice to give the governors ample time to do the right thing. Unfortunately, because of neglect and inaction by county governments, health workers have commenced their strike," Wachira said.
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Despite the strike call, patients interviewed by The Standard said services had continued uninterrupted.
Phoebe Mideva, who had been admitted to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital since Saturday and was discharged on Tuesday, said she had not experienced any changes in the services offered.
"I have been discharged today after being admitted on Saturday, but everything has been the same. In fact, I didn't even notice any changes after the strike was announced," she said.
While hospitals remained operational, some patients complained of drug shortages, saying they had been instructed to purchase prescribed medicines from private pharmacies because they were unavailable at the hospitals.
The unions are demanding the confirmation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers to permanent and pensionable terms, implementation of return-to-work agreements and improved working conditions, accusing county governments of failing to honour previous commitments.
Wachira said the unions would escalate the industrial action on Wednesday by staging demonstrations at the Council of Governors' offices before proceeding to Parliament. He added that healthcare workers across all counties had also been directed to report daily to their respective governors' offices and county assemblies until their demands are addressed.