Kenyatta National Hospital Accident and Emergency Section. [File, Standard]
Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has urged patients seeking non-emergency care to consider other health facilities as the ongoing health workers’ strike continues to push patient numbers up at the national referral hospital.
In a statement, the hospital said the strike has increased patient volumes, resulting in congestion, long queues, extended waiting times and delays in accessing treatment, particularly for non-emergency services.
“As a national referral hospital, KNH is receiving more patients who would ordinarily access services at county and other health facilities. This has resulted in longer waiting times and delays, particularly for emergency services,” KNH said in a statement.
“Clients seeking non-emergency care are encouraged to consider other hospitals closer to them, where appropriate, to ease pressure on KNH and facilitate timely access to care,” the hospital added.
The multi-county industrial action has disrupted healthcare services across the country, with nurses, clinical officers and other health workers downing their tools over unimplemented Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), unpaid salaries and other employment grievances.
The disruption has pushed more patients towards referral facilities such as KNH, Kenya’s largest public referral and teaching hospital, to access services unavailable at county hospitals.
The strike has also left low-income families facing difficult choices, with some forced to delay treatment or seek care in more expensive private and faith-based facilities, potentially exposing them to heavy financial burdens.