Embu: Health services across Embu County continue being crippled after striking doctors vowed to stay put until their grievances with regard to poor working conditions are fully met. The doctors went on strike on Monday this week alongside other county workers hampering service delivery in all sectors of the county government.

According to Kenya News Agency, the doctors stated that the county had reneged on the implementation of a signed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) from earlier this year, which was intended to address their welfare issues. Among their grievances are stagnation, non-remittance of statutory deductions, poor pay for locum doctors, and lack of medical supplies in hospitals.

Led by Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) National Deputy Secretary General Dr. Denis Miskellah, the medics expressed that they cannot continue to render services to patients while their welfare issues remain ignored. During a press briefing in Embu Town on Friday, Dr. Miskellah accused the employer of neglecting the plight of doctors who have been working under difficult circumstances for years amid empty promises.

Dr. Miskellah highlighted that some of their members have stagnated at one job group for years, affecting their morale and output. Meanwhile, locum doctors, who fill staffing gaps, continue working on poor pay for years without conversion into permanent terms. Additionally, hospitals are facing an inadequate supply of drugs, forcing them to send patients away to buy necessary medications themselves.

Despite receiving overwhelming support from residents, it is unfortunate that prescribed services cannot be secured in hospitals across the county due to the persistent shortage of medical supplies. Dr. Miskellah lamented, "Our work has been to prescribe and dispense hope to patients as we send them away to buy drugs outside."