Cases of assault of nurses continue to be reported even as the Government and the Nurses union keep making promises that they are laying down proper mechanisms to help deal with it.
It will be remembered that on December 5, 2018, Pamela Akinyi, 40, was charged with causing grievous harm to a nurse at Kenyatta National Hospital after her child died while undergoing treatment. She was later charged and released on a bond of Sh100,000 or Sh50,000 bail.
Well, a new case of assault has been reported and this time it has hit Mama Lucy Hospital where two nurses were assaulted on Saturday Night.
Nairobi nurses have now threatened to go strike to demand dignity and safety at work following the incident.
Kenya National Union of Nurses Nairobi branch chairman Boaz Onchari they were ready to return to the streets and protest insecurity at work.
“We were the first county to sign a deal with Governor Mike Sonko and returned to work to serve patients,” Onchari said.
The incident happened at around 2am, victim Christian Nyabera said.
The matter was reported at Soweto police station. Embakasi deputy county commissioner Kenneth Gitonga said police have arrested two of the three suspects.
They will be taken to court today.
The suspect on the run is said to have been a patient brought in by those in custody.
“I want to reassure staff that we are doing everything possible to make sure they perform their duties without any interference,” Gitonga said.
He said detectives have recorded statements from witnesses and were gathering more evidence.
Nyabera said the attackers brought in a patient who had deep cuts on his left cheek and other cuts on the right cheek.
“They did not want to follow procedure and demanded to be served first even though we had administered first aid to the patient,” Nyabera said.
The nurses had scores of patients waiting to be attended to.
Nyabera suffered bruises while her colleague, George Mwangi, had a broken wrist.
Hospital boss Musa Muhammed said they will change security strategy. “We’ll have direct and indirect security in the hospital,” Muhammed said.
Gitonga said uniformed and plainclothes officers will be deployed at the hospital.