A caucus of health workers across the country is demanding action after cases of attacks on them while on duty surged.
In a statement on Thursday, the caucus, which includes the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) and Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) highlighted an incident in which a relative brandished a gun at Naivasha Level 4 Hospital health workers while working on a patient.
A person with knowledge of the incident told Kenyans.co.ke that the gun-wielding man was unimpressed by Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) that was being carried out on his relative.
As a result, he pulled out the gun forcing the clinician to run to safety and hide in a separate room.
"The relative was a gun holder and he brandished a pistol. What happened was the (hospital) took a patient whose condition was probably critical and he was being resuscitated. The relative claimed that the CPR would kill the patient," stated the source.
"The relative got hysteric and started attacking them. He brandished a pistol. The clinicians ran away and locked themselves in a room. The man kept telling the clinicians that the bullet could go through the door."
The incident occurred towards the end of 2023.
In its latest demand letter, the union caucus argued that such incidents had become rampant in counties as far as Kisii and Migori.
"It is however worth noting that attacks on health workers have been on an upward trend and assailants are not held to account in most of the cases. Just the other day, health workers in Naivasha level 4 hospital were threatened at gunpoint. The police appeared 4 hours later. There are similar cases like the one in Migori and Kisii where assailants were indeed state officers and people who are expected to carry themselves with the utmost decorum.," read the letter in part.
"It is concerning that almost all hospitals do not have scanners and anybody can get into the hospital with weapons without forgetting that a number of people seeking attention are mentally unwell. Health workers are exposed to these criminal acts, especially during night duty."
The caucus, as a result, demanded immediate arrest of perpetrators and called on the state to enhance security surveillance and intervention protocols in all health facilities across the country.
Health workers also want armed security personnel in all health facilities, especially during night duties.
