Simon Siele
5 July 2008
Nairobi — Doctors and other health workers at the Nakuru-based Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital have called off a two-day strike after the intervention of senior Government officials.
Doctors, medical consultants and nurses were protesting against unsuitable working conditions following the disconnection of water supply to the hospital.
Supplies were disconnected due to non-payment of a Sh97 million bill.
The Rift Valley Provincial Medical Officer, Dr John Odondi, held a crisis meeting with the staff.
Dr Odondi confirmed that operations had returned to normal. He said staff had no option but to resume duties "since the boycott was illegal and the issues that they raised were not new."
Medical Services permanent secretary, Hezron Nyangito, his Public Health counterpart James Nyikal and their Ministry of Water and Irrigation colleague, Dr David Stower, visited the hospital to try and resolve the issue.
Patients complained that they had not been attended to since Wednesday and some had been moved to private hospitals by relatives.
Water to the institution was reconnected on Thursday afternoon after the permanent secretaries promised the Nakuru Water Company that the debt would be paid.
The permanent secretaries also assessed the situation following a cholera outbreak in various parts of Nakuru and Naivasha. The disease has been contained and no new cases have been reported.
Dr Nyikal said that three people had died while 34 were diagnosed to be suffering from the disease and 28 had been admitted to the Rift Valley General Hospital.
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