Nairobi Hospital issues statement over doctors’ strike

By Peter Ochieng

The Nairobi Hospital management has issued a statement over a reported doctors’ strike at the prestigious health institution.

The management urged partners to ignore reports of a strike at the health facility.

“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 round in sections of the media about an impending strike by our doctors. We are grateful for your support,” reads the statement.

Doctors at the hospital, through the Admitting Staff Association, had issued a strike notice, informing members of the public that no new patients would be admitted until their grievances are addressed.

Patients in wards, the doctors said, would however be attended top. "The general public is therefore notified that there will be no more new admissions in the Nairobi Hospital. That the central command structure of the Nairobi Hospital is called upon to take note of this critical development.''

The strike, they said, is part of their efforts to force members of the Nairobi Hospital Board of Management to resign over alleged mismanagement.

The Association urged members of the public to support the move by the doctors, ahead of a planned Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on September 18, 2024.

"We call upon the support of all members of the public of goodwill, who are desires of sustained quality health care from the Nairobi Hospital, to rally all possible assistance... starting with ensuring the success of an Extraordinary General Meeting of18th September 2024 at 2.30 pm at Radisson Blu Hotel - Upper Hill.”

Nairobi Hospital, initiated in 1952 has been touted as a pacesetter in medical practice in Kenya.

It has over the years, recorded several firsts locally and in the East and Central African region with milestones that include: First private nursing training college in Kenya, first institution to offer Diploma in Theatre Nursing, first hospital to fit a dual chamber pacemaker on a patient and first institution to offer hip replacement.

Others are first eye bank in East Africa, first complete video gastroenterology system, first human papillomavirus (HPV), cancer of the cervix testing, first tumour markers testing facility, first hospital enterprise resource management system and first brachytherapy centre.