CS Nakhumicha condemns abuse of hospital staff caught on video in Busia

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha on Thursday condemned instances of assault on healthcare workers.

This follows a recent incident recorded in a widely-circulated video appearing to show a healthcare provider allegedly at Port Victoria Sub County Hospital in Busia County being verbally and physically assaulted by two members of the public.

In a statement, the health minister said perpetrators of such acts will face the full force of the law.

“Acts of violence against our healthcare workers are not only reprehensible but intolerable. Healthcare workers deserve our utmost respect as they are the backbone of our healthcare system. They work tirelessly – sometimes under challenging conditions to ensure the well-being of all citizens across different hospital levels,” Nakhumicha said.

She termed the Busia healthcare worker's assault as not just an attack on an individual but an assault on the entire healthcare system and the principles that guide it.

The CS commended the healthcare worker for remaining calm and composed during the incident, urging healthcare seekers to maintain civility whilst interacting with healthcare workers.

“Violence against healthcare workers will not be tolerated and any person culpable of such an act will be apprehended and face the full wrath of the law. The government remains resolute in its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our healthcare professionals across the country. Going forward and considering this incident, I call for mutually respectful engagements between members of the public and healthcare givers as we continue to build and maintain a robust health system,” she added.

In the video, the two people – a man and a woman – can be seen and heard harassing two nurses at the facility while hurling unprintable insults at them.

The woman, at some point, is seen scattering objects lying on one of the nurses’ desk to the floor and tossing some at her while calling her names.

She then threatens to call somebody she only identifies as “Ababu,” as her accomplice also takes out his phone and tells the other person on the line to; “harakisha ukuje hapa sai, we have an emergency here!”

They then leave after noticing that someone else in the room is recording them on camera.

Reports indicate that the two had taken another person, who was allegedly intoxicated, to the facility for treatment and demanded to be attended to ahead of other patients who were already also waiting for treatment.

They reportedly then caused a fit when they were informed that they could not be attended to, and are said to have even invoked the name of a senior government official.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Dr Davji Atellah has since condemned the incident, further urging the relevant authorities to swoop in and bring the culprits to book.