The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) on Wednesday issued a directive to all intern doctors to withdraw their services from public medical facilities following the death of an intern doctor reportedly by suicide.
While asking intern doctors to stay away from their workstations in protest, KMPDU's Secretary-General Devji Atellah also issued a notice for the Union's members to strike in December 2024.
It comes a day after the tragic death of Francis Njuki, a medical intern doctor at the Thika Level Five Hospital in Kiambu County, committed suicide after facing numerous challenges at his workplace.
Atellah noted that the interns have gone for four months without pay which has exacerbated the situation for interns who are allegedly overworked in hospitals, some working over 36-hour shifts.
He lamented the interns have been subjected to a difficult work environment that has resulted in some of them sinking into a state of despair and depression.
"We cannot continue with this despair and disillusionment that are caused by hard working conditions. You must all stay at home as we try to discuss these matters with the government," Atellah stated.
According to the Union, two intern doctors have so far died by suicide, the latest one being the pharmacist at Thika Level 5 hospital.
Earlier, the Internship Liaison Committee, a union of intern doctors, had threatened to stage a nationwide strike in protest of Njuki’s death.
In a letter dated November 26, signed by its chairman Muinde Nthusi and Secretary-General Elisha Harry Otieno, the interns demanded the government pay them and improve working conditions.
“This devastating incident is not an isolated case; it starkly highlights the urgent need for the Ministry of Health and the government to confront the negligence and inconsiderate treatment of doctor individuals who constitute a significant portion of the healthcare workforce in public facilities,” the intern doctors demanded.
Njuki's tragic death comes two months after the heartbreaking loss of Desiree Moraa, an intern at Gatundu County Referral Hospital in Kiambu County, who tragically died on November 22, by suicide.
According to a police report, Moraa's body was reportedly found dangling from the rooftop of her bedroom's balcony by her colleagues, who came searching for her after failing to pick up their calls.
