The doctors’ strike enters day 55 today. The bureaucrats and their political bosses who should resolve the protracted labour dispute do not seem to appreciate the magnitude of despair and suffering the public, who cannot afford private medical care, are having to endure.
The medical muddle, very unfortunately, has come at a time the entire nation is in the throes of a flooding catastrophe that requires public hospitals to be open to handle the many emergencies brought about by the heavy rains.
But amidst all the chaos, the obstinate Ministry of Health mandarins lose no sleep over the poor millions who are having to watch their loved ones suffer. Many surgeries have had to be postponed or cancelled.
Life is sacrosanct and is one of the key responsibilities of any administration.
We have appealed to President William Ruto to resolve the stalemate. We appeal again.
The money, which is the subject of the row, cannot and should not be a matter of life and death.
The dispute is an eloquent argument for the creation of a health commission to manage, promote and discipline doctors.
Leaving the management of doctors, clinical officers, nurses in the hands of governors is a recipe for trouble.
The counties are ill-prepared for such serious responsibility.
The doctors union, as a matter of urgency, must also be flexible. They must strike a middle ground and accept compromise.
Quote of the day: “Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.”
Sigmund Freud
The Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis was born on May 6, 1856
