A health worker at Msambweni County Referral Hospital in Kwale County has raised serious concerns about the deteriorating state of healthcare services and staff welfare at the facility, highlighting a crisis that may soon jeopardize the lives of patients if not urgently addressed.
According to the frontline worker, the hospital is grappling with a severe shortage of basic medical supplies, including gloves, drugs, IV fluids, and glucose testing strips for diabetic patients. Health workers at Msambweni Referral Hospital cite hostile leadership, delayed pay, and failing infrastructure as key reasons for their countywide strike.
In many instances, patients are forced to buy these essentials out-of-pocket, despite being at a referral facility that should be well-equipped.
The situation has pushed health workers to their limits, leading to an ongoing strike by medical professionals in the county.
Health workers cite a range of longstanding issues, including delayed salaries, reportedly being paid on the 20th of the following month, lack of promotions, and non-payment of arrears for those previously promoted.
Attempts to follow up on these grievances have been met with hostility and indifference from top county officials, further demoralizing staff.
The frustration has been compounded by what workers say is the county government’s heavy-handed response to the strike.
It is alleged that senior county officials sponsored groups of goons to intimidate and disrupt striking workers.
Those mentioned as behind this move include the Director of Sports, the Director of Roads and Infrastructure, and the Chief Officer of Health. This has only served to escalate tensions rather than address the root causes of the unrest.
In the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the situation is even more dire.
Key equipment, including ventilators and monitoring machines, are reportedly non-functional, putting critically ill patients at extreme risk.
The facility lacks the resources to maintain or replace these machines, creating a desperate situation for both staff and patients.
Healthcare workers are now calling on the leadership of Kwale County to treat the matter with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.
They warn that if the current trend continues, more lives will be lost, not due to negligence, but due to the absence of essential resources and a systemic failure to support those on the frontlines. "Good evening Nyakundi how are you doing. I have information I would kindly request you to share about it in public. I'm a health worker in Kwale County and specifically in Msambweni County Referral Hospital, I know you know Kwale medics are demonstrating mostly because of unfavorable work environment alongside other issues. Imagine a referral hospital with no gloves, we send patients to buy, diabetic patients buy glucometer sticks, fluids and all other drugs, it's frustrating. Now we went on strike, funny enough the county sponsored goons, I'll name the sponsors whom governor used.
Bakari Mwayoyo - Director Sports
Masood Shughuli - Director Roads and Infrastructure
Dr Mujiba - Chief Officer Health
We get paid on 20th of the other month, no promotion, those who were promoted didn't get their arrears, we followed up, But the County Secretary Silvia Chidodo is very rude, she actually said, "kama hamtaki resign go to other counties", we are really frustrated. If this is the trend, many patients will die not because we don't work, but no resources. ICU has no working vent, all machines are faulty, tumekwama na mama haelewi."