Photo/FILE Mr Luke Kodambo, the chairman of the National Nurses Association, answers readers’ questions. He says the government’s intransigence forced health workers to go on strike.
Posted Friday, March 16 2012 at 16:04
Last week, MR LUKE KODAMBO, the chairman of the National Nurses Association, fielded questions from readers.
Do you realise that by going on strike, health workers risked the loss of innocent lives?
Just two weeks ago, a woman and her newborn baby died because the nurses refused to attend to them. You came into this profession to save lives, didn’t you?
Muna, in UK
Muna, in UK
We empathise with the family that suffered loss of life – a mother and the new born baby. Indeed when life is lost, it is irreversible.
Our ethical position is that even during such moments when health workers are on strike, services for critically ill patients, those on life support, must be given. Circumstances forced the innocent nurses and other health workers to resort to industrial action.
The government mismanaged the whole issue because the December, 2011 signed deal was not honoured, especially when it came to allowances for health workers.
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You have failed the leadership test, why did you call off the strike secretly on March 4? The voice of the chairman or that of secretary alone could have saved the situation.
You have failed the leadership test, why did you call off the strike secretly on March 4? The voice of the chairman or that of secretary alone could have saved the situation.
Had the strike been called off through our officials then no confusion, sackings and further loss of lives could have arisen. Will you own up to the mess, apologise to Kenyans?
Soksok S., in Transmara
Soksok S., in Transmara
I am sorry, the earlier meeting that was called to call off the strike had been urgently convened by the Health minister Anyang’ Nyong’o on March 4, a Sunday, as directed by the top authorities. We attended the meeting but, to our surprise, the decision was already made.
Our attempt to resist was misunderstood and it degenerated to an ugly scenario, forcing our leadership to give in but we cautioned the minister on the repercussions of the procedure he had used.
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Can you please undo the confusion because the Health minister said one thing to health workers, you said something else and Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua also sent a different message? What are we ordinary Kenyans to do?
Hellen Mwai
Can you please undo the confusion because the Health minister said one thing to health workers, you said something else and Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua also sent a different message? What are we ordinary Kenyans to do?
Hellen Mwai
As an organisation we had no control over the minister’s arbitrary action to sack all health workers, but as KHPS our position statements were membership-driven and consultative.
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I wonder if you would stand by your nurses if one of your loved ones died because nurses declined to offer services. I am ashamed that I am a medical student who is planning to eventually work in Nairobi.
Abdul Mohamed
I wonder if you would stand by your nurses if one of your loved ones died because nurses declined to offer services. I am ashamed that I am a medical student who is planning to eventually work in Nairobi.
Abdul Mohamed
I would like to say that it was good for your team to hold out until your plight was heard and action taken by the government. It hurt me to see that innocent people were losing lives yet the government was insensitive.
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I am a fully trained doctor from Russia, I practised briefly in Kenya in 2007 after my graduation, but I pulled out and I do not regret. I was dumped in Turkana by the Ministry of Health to serve a local community hospital.
How can a single doctor with nurses serve almost 20 pregnant women in a day, with other patients waiting, and a salary of Sh10, 000 per month?
Eubert Espira
Eubert Espira
Emergency cases were dully attended to except in extreme cases where some of our members went against professional advice.
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