By Anchor Writer

Doctors, County Government grandstanding causes a crisis in healthcare

The healthcare crisis in Machakos county deepens daily as the doctor’s strike enters its 59th day, with no end in sight.

The clock is ticking over the management of health services as the standoff between the County Government and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) persists amid grandstanding from both sides Governor Wavinya Ndeti has ordered a stoppage of salaries of striking doctors and is meanwhile glob trotting – now in China after a sojourn in the United Kingdom. The trip has no known benefits to the people of Machakos, and not a single story has been published to indicate that she is on official duty

This comes days after she swore in a new Health Minister Mr. Justus Kasivu https://theanchormedia.org/2024/11/27/full-in-tray-for-new-health-minister/who transitioned from Chief Officer for Medical Services after the resignation of former Health Minister Dr. Daniel Yumbya.

The result of the wrestling has left health services in all public hospitals paralyzed, forcing patients to either seek expensive private care or either lie dying or suffering at home.

At the heart of the standoff is a fresh demand by doctors for unpaid salaries during the strike. The union’s Secretary General Dr. Charles Okumu has maintained a firm stance that doctors will not return to work unless all their demands are met. These demands include payment of outstanding dues, remittance of statutory deductions withheld by the county, promotion arrears, and the recruitment of additional health workers to alleviate staff shortages.

However, the County Secretary Dr. Muya Ndambuki, has rejected the union’s key demand to pay salaries for the strike period, labeling it unacceptable. Dr. Muya cited a court order that declared the strike illegal and emphasized that no public funds would be used to compensate doctors for the days they did not work.

The showdown escalated further when Dr. Muya accused Dr. Okumu of inciting doctors to stay on strike while he is benefiting from a full pay during a five-year study leave. He also alleged that some doctors see fewer than ten patients per month, calling it a misuse of taxpayers’ money and vowing to expose these “unproductive” work patterns. The CS opened a new front to the fight, promising to publish names, dates and times each of the doctors have worked.

The doctors’ strike, initially sparked by grievances over non remittance of statutory deductions and poor working conditions, has become a protracted battle of egos and principles. The County Government insists it has met most of the union’s demands but will not yield on the issue of unpaid salaries. Dr. Muya’s blunt response to the union’s demands—“Forget it”—has only served to harden positions on both sides.

Meanwhile, the county’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapse. Public hospitals, once a lifeline for the poor, stay functionally closed. Families with financial means have turned to private facilities, while the less fortunate watch helplessly as their loved ones deteriorate at home.

As the stalemate continues, the question looms: Who will blink first, and at what cost to the suffering citizens?