Doctors resign from public hospitals over allowances, cite discrimination

Lamu, Kenya: A major crisis is looming in Lamu's public hospitals after several doctors resigned leaving only two in the entire county.

Four out of the six doctors tendered their resignation on Monday and Tuesday this week, citing lack of allowances and discrimination.

As a result, King Fahad District Hospital has been left with one doctor, while the only other doctor is based at the Mpeketoni sub-district Hospital.

According to the 2009 census, Lamu County has a population of 101,539, which the two remaining doctors are expected to serve.

The four who resigned include Medical Superintendent Dulkiflins Franklins, Brian Mwendwa, Timamy Al-alawi and Barbra Mutimos.

Dr Mwendwa told The Standard they opted to resign after their pleas to the county government fell on deaf ears. He said they have been devoted to their work. When every civil servant fled from the area following Al-Shabaab attacks, they chose to stay.

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"Despite all the sacrifices we made, the county government has kept on lying to us with empty promises, which they failed to honour. We are frustrated and no longer want to work in this area," he said.

Mwendwa said the doctors have held a number of meeting in regards to their allowances and promotions with Governor Issa Timammy, Health Executive and the County Public Service Board, but nothing has been forthcoming.

Health Executive Mbwana Kombo confirmed that the four resigned yesterday, but described the action as ill timed, adding that the doctors chose to leave the public service when their grievances were being addressed.

Kombo said they have been following up the issue with the Human Resources Department and the Public Service Board, who were reviewing the doctors' files as well as those of dentists, clinical officers and laboratory technicians.

"We were almost effecting the increments that the doctors are demanding. Their original files are still in Nairobi with the Ministry of Health, and we were just working with skeleton files," said Kombo.

He said following their action the doctors will forfeit all their benefits, adding that they could have just asked for transfer of service to other counties if they felt they cannot work in Lamu.