Nurses at Mbagathi protest lack of protective gear as outbreak fears rise
By Eric Wainaina, March 17, 2020Services at Mbagathi Hospital were yesterday paralysed after nurses staged a go-slow over lack of protective gear to handle suspected coronavirus cases.
The nurses also decried insufficient training on how to handle the suspected cases.
Mbagathi Hospital is hosting the 120-bed capacity isolation wing for coronavirus patients where at least 22 people have been put under quarantine for coming into contact with the confirmed patients.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses secretary general Seth Panyako threatened to rally the union members to flee hostile workstations.
“According to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2017, health workers have a right to flee from a work place they feel is hostile or unsafe for them to work,” he said.
Panyako claimed he has been receiving distress calls and messages from officials across the country decrying lack of proper and recommended health protective gears.
The preparedness the government is talking about is miserable, this is public relation from the state.
Some nurses do not have gloves, masks and those who have them are general ones.
He said the government has failed to concentrate its effort at points of entry which will be the most ideal way to deal with the disease.
“I urge all nurses and other health workers if they feel their workstations are high risk like Mombasa, Nairobi Kisumu they should down their tools,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Medical and Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union has volunteered to mobilise thousands of unemployed medical professionals to help in fighting Covid-19.
Secretary general Ouma Oluga said this measure would help create reserve of health workforce incase the current one is overwhelmed.
“It will also help in addressing medical staff shortage in case others are quarantined as it will be done after a period of contact with Covid-19 patients or are taken ill by the virus,” said Dr Oluga.
Oluga welcomed the move by President Uhuru Kenyatta acknowledgement of medical staff shortage and subsequent announcement to employ additional workers.
The union also demanded adequate preparation to handle Covid-19 by provision of holding/call rooms in all public and private hospitals.