Nairobi Hospital doctors announce strike, demand board's resignation

Doctors at Nairobi Hospital plan to go on strike starting on 16 September 2024
They are demanding the resignation of the entire board of management
All hospital admissions will be halted until the demands are met

Doctors at Nairobi Hospital are set to down their tools starting Monday, 16 September 2024, citing a crisis in hospital governance.

The Kenya Hospital Association and the Admitting Staff Association (Doctors) have called for the resignation of the entire board of management.

In a press statement released today, the associations, representing a group of aggrieved doctors, announced that they had formally requisitioned an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), set to take place on 18 September 2024 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Upper Hill.

The meeting, which will begin at 2:30 p.m., seeks to rally members of the association in efforts to save the hospital, calling for decisive action against the hospital's current administration.

The Nairobi Hospital The Nairobi Hospital Pulse Live Kenya

Key Demands and Strike Details

According to the press release, doctors plan to halt all hospital admissions, including private, critical, and emergency cases, until their demands are met.

The doctors are pressing for the board’s resignation by midnight on 16 September 2024, warning that the strike will continue until the necessary changes are made at the hospital's management level.

The association emphasised that the strike is a protest against what they described as "governance failures" by the current board of directors.

The hospital's internal crisis has, they claim, worsened patient care, creating an unsustainable situation for staff and patients alike.

Impact on Services

The planned industrial action is expected to have a significant impact on healthcare services at one of Kenya's leading private hospitals.

The public has been informed that no new admissions will be taken, and the only care that will continue will be for in-patients who are already receiving treatment at the hospital.

This measure is expected to affect both scheduled surgeries and critical care patients.

In addition to halting medical services, the Kenya Hospital Association has urged its members to maintain solidarity and attend the Extraordinary General Meeting.

The meeting is viewed as a critical turning point for the hospital, where strategic decisions to overhaul the hospital’s leadership are expected to be made.

The Nairobi Hospital The Nairobi Hospital Pulse Live Kenya

Call for Public Support

The statement also extended an appeal to the general public and healthcare professionals, urging them to rally behind the doctors' movement in pushing for a resolution to the crisis.

The associations have stated that their efforts are geared towards restoring the hospital's reputation as a top-tier healthcare provider, noting that patient welfare is at the core of their protest.

"We ask the general public, particularly members of the public of goodwill, to stand with us in this critical moment," the statement reads.

The hospital's board of management has yet to issue an official response to the doctors’ demands, and it remains unclear what steps will be taken to address the situation before the impending strike date.