Medics paralyse operations at Kakamega hospital
By Douglas Dindi, July 12, 2023
Key services at the Kakamega County General Hospital (KCGH) remain suspended even after Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula stepped in to broker a truce between the county executive and striking medics.
Gynaecology services became the latest services to be crippled because of lack of basic kits and reagents after medics at the hospital went on strike protesting unsafe working environment at the facility.
On Monday Savula held meetings with top hospital staff in a bid to diffuse the standoff at the hospital following public outcry over poor services and lack of drugs.
Doctors downed tools to demand for the restocking of drugs. An internal memo from the hospital’s Dental Unit announced that only emergency services would be rendered henceforth. The memo was signed by Dr Lydia Khakina.
Yesterday, Savula claimed that a cartel involving some hospital staff and private chemists was behind the shortage of drugs and reagents in the hospital pharmacy.
“The DCI is investigating the theft of computers. We also want them to investigate the theft of drugs and non-pharmaceutical products from the hospital. We want the DCI to unravel the cartel around this theft of drugs,” he said.