Doctors’ strike looms

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:51:45 +0000

Junior doctors on Monday went on a go slow at the University Teaching Hospital demanding for better working equipment and facilities in hospitals.

The doctors said their demands had nothing to do with salaries but they needed to be provided with proper working instruments and kits in their clinics.

On Monday the doctors refused to attend to patients and instead locked themselves up in a day long meeting demanding that their grievances be dealt with.

Some patients were instead seen by some professors and consultants because of the same stand off.

But UTH managing director Dr Lackson Kasonka denied that doctors were planning to go on strike because the meeting involved those that were post graduate students.

He said the work stoppage was purely academic and had nothing to do with clinical issues.

Dr Kasonka said all the interns working at the hospital had a meeting to discuss issues affecting their operations at the institution.

He however said the issues that involved bursaries and others were later resolved after the long day meeting.

But a nurse who sought anonymity told the Daily Nation that doctors were demanding that they be provided with equipment to carry out the work effectively.

However, some patients could not be seen because the professors the worked on that day could only see a limited number of patients.

She said during her duty she was assisted by a professor who only managed to see those were critical only.

“We had no doctors today (Monday) because we understand they are planning to go on a go slow. So they have been locked up in a meeting and we are yet to know the details of the meeting.

Non of them has seen a patient and this prompted professors and consultants to work instead and most of them did not see all the patients that needed to be seen.

The doctors have complained that they are unable to work effectively due to lack of equipment in the clinics.

All we are saying is that management should quickly resolve this issue before the doctors decide to stop work. We don’t know what the resolution would be after the meeting,” said the nurse.

The doctors were on Monday locked up in a meeting in an effort to resolve issues that affect their work.