The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has protested its alleged exclusion from the Ministry of Health’s Ebola preparedness and response efforts amid rising cases of the disease in the country.
The concerns come after the Ministry of Health announced four additional cases of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), detected in two quarantine sites bringing the total number of confirmed cases to seven, including three healthcare workers.
According to KMPDU Secretary-General Dr. Davji Atellah, the union’s highly trained members have not been involved in efforts to contain the deadly virus.
Dr. Atellah said the situation requires collaboration among stakeholders, noting that the union is ready to support the government in addressing the emerging public health concerns.
Speaking to the press after a union meeting in Naivasha, the secretary-general called on the Ministry of Health to provide adequate, high-quality personal protective equipment to safeguard healthcare workers involved in the response.
He also urged the ministry to isolate individuals identified through contact tracing in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to help contain the outbreak.
“KMPDU has been excluded from the ongoing Ebola preparedness and response efforts amid rising cases in the country,” Dr. Atellah said.
The union’s concerns come as Dr. Atellah renewed calls for the government to honour its commitment to employ more than 2,000 doctors to improve the quality of healthcare for Kenyans.
In addition, Dr. Atellah warned that healthcare workers would go on strike if outstanding salary-related issues are not resolved by the end of the month.
He noted that 29 counties had yet to honour their commitments on salary adjustments under previously agreed terms.
Dr. Atellah also raised concerns over delays in remittances from the Social Health Authority (SHA) for services provided by healthcare facilities.
“As a union, we will move to suspend our services if the outstanding salary issues and delays in SHA remittances to hospitals are not addressed by the end of the year,” the secretary-general said.
Meanwhile, KMPDU National Chairman Ani Mwachi echoed the calls for greater involvement of doctors in the response to the outbreak.
“We demand that the Ministry of Health involve doctors in Ebola preparedness and response measures to contain the outbreak,” Mwachi said.
