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Hospital strike paralyses work
- Details
- Published on Saturday, 07 July 2007 08:09
Workers and subordinate staff accused the MoH, Dr Walter Magolo, of being behind the beating of a medical lab technologist Stephen Ogembo.
Mr Ogembo, they said, was beaten by a man who they alleged had no posting orders to be in charge of the district hospital laboratory. Dr Magolo however denied the claim.
Tension was high and the hospital superintendent, Dr Bruno Marchal, had to call in security to calm down medical workers who threatened to lynch the incoming medical personnel said to have assaulted Mr Ogembo.
Speaking during an urgent meeting convened by a District Officer Benson Odindo, the workers accused the MoH of running the health facility as his personal property without involving the superintendent and the hospital matron.
The workers also questioned how cost-sharing funds were utilized, accusing the MOH of causing divisions among them along tribal lines.
"We want to know how Sh3.7 million from cost-sharing funds was used since patients are now forced to buy needles, syringes and drugs," one of the Kenya Nurses Association branch official said.
They said there was no tangible improvement at the hospital despite increasing cost-sharing fees from Sh20 to Sh100 for out patients and theatre fee from Sh100 to Sh1,000.
Responding, Dr Magoro blamed the hospital woes on the hospital's superintendent.
"Dr Marchal has been leaking information on management matters to nurses without realising he is in charge of the welfare of patients," Dr Magoro said.
But nurses defended Dr Marchal, saying his efforts to streamline services of the hospital were being frustrated by the MoH. The MoH admitted the embezzlement of cost-sharing fees, but said the money went missing before he was posted there.
