Crisis deepens at Nairobi Hospital as doctors issue strike threat

The main entrance to the Nairobi Hospital.[File, Standard]

Operations at the Nairobi Hospital are set to be disrupted following a strike notice issued by medics at the premier facility.

The Admitting Staff Association, representing the hospital's doctors, published a notice in a major daily non Monday, stating, that "there will be no newer admissions in the Nairobi Hospital."

This comes amid a deepening crisis, occasioned by management wrangles, with some stakeholders calling for the resignation of the hospital's board.

The association emphasised that while new admissions would cease, doctors would continue to attend to patients already in the wards and those in their private clinics and emergency cases.

This drastic action is reportedly aimed at forcing the resignation of the hospital's Board of Management. The medical staff cite a "crisis in governance" as the primary motivation behind their decision to down tools.

Adding to the complexity of the situation, a group identifying itself as "progressive members" of the Kenya Hospital Association (KHA), which owns The Nairobi Hospital, has called for an Extraordinary General Meeting.

Scheduled for September 18, 2024, at 2:30 PM at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi, this meeting aims to discuss the dissolution of the current board.

However, in a swift response to the growing crisis, the hospital management stated to reassure the public and stakeholders.

On Monday morning, the hospital's official X (formerly Twitter) account said, "We would like to assure the general public that our operations are going on smoothly. We urge our partners and stakeholders to ignore reports going around in sections of the media about an impending strike by our doctors. We are grateful for your support."

Speaking at the hospital, Dr Chris M. N. Bichage, who Chairs the Board of Management at Kenya Hospital Association, downplayed the industrial action.

"The doctors of the Nairobi Hospital are not on strike. The Hospital's operations are running smoothly, and all our staff are working tirelessly to offer our patients excellent service," he said.

He further insisted that the hospital is well-staffed to handle the simmering situation.

"The Nairobi Hospital is served by over six hundred specialist consultant doctors with admitting rights, in addition to the hospital's doctors. This is the highest concentration of medical professionals in a single health facility in East, Central, and Southern Africa," he noted.

Addressing allegations of financial impropriety, Dr Bichage presented figures showing a positive trend in the hospital's performance.

The Nairobi Hospital, with its rich history dating back to 1954, has long been a cornerstone of healthcare in East Africa.

But the current situation at the facility is a culmination of longstanding issues in the management, with allegations of corruption in its procurement department.

This has seen a high turnover of Chief Executive Officers, some who served for as short as less than three years before being replaced.