Kenya’s hospitals are buckling under pressure, and doctors say they can no longer cope.Kenya Medical Practitioners,
Pharmacists and Dentists Union Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah has warned that the ongoing nurses’ strike has left doctors overburdened and unable to deliver safe care.
“Doctors cannot work without nurses they are now overburdened. We cannot continue like this,” Atellah said in a press briefing in Nairobi.
He explained that nurses are the backbone of clinical care, handling triage, administering drugs, monitoring patients and assisting in theatre.
Without them, doctors are forced to do double duty, working long hours with minimal support.
Atellah said many facilities are now operating with skeleton staff, leading to burnout, medical errors and delayed treatment for patients.
KMPDU has already issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government, threatening a solidarity strike if the nurses’ grievances over CBA implementation, promotions and salary arrears are not resolved.
He called on both the national and county governments to return to the negotiating table immediately, warning that if the standoff continues, the entire health system will collapse.
