KMPDU rallies behind interdicted Coast General Hospital CEO
Tension is simmering at the Coast as doctors rally behind a hospital chief they say is being punished for deeper problems within Kenya’s strained public health system.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has strongly condemned the interdiction of the Chief Executive Officer of Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, describing the move as politically driven and demoralising to frontline medics.
At a press briefing in Nairobi, KMPDU Secretary General Dr Davji Atellah spoke with visible frustration, arguing that the decision by the County Government of Mombasa unfairly singled out a doctor over what he termed systemic failures in the healthcare system.
The CEO’s interdiction letter reportedly accused him of deliberately failing to ensure a patient received proper care and neglecting to advocate for admission. But the union says the narrative distorts what actually happened.
According to Dr Atellah, the patient in question was receiving emergency treatment in the Intensive Care Unit under the supervision of a neurosurgeon. “This was a patient already on life support in ICU. To claim there were no emergency services is misleading,” he said.
For many doctors, the issue goes beyond one administrator. It touches on a daily struggle inside public hospitals — juggling critical cases amid shortages of staff, drugs and equipment.
“Saving a life is paramount,” Dr Atellah emphasised, referencing the constitutional obligation under Article 43 that guarantees the right to healthcare. He noted that billing and administrative processes are not the responsibility of clinicians during emergencies. “The treating team’s chronology shows the patient was managed. Doctors cannot abandon patients because of paperwork or finances.”
Union officials argue that the interdiction skipped key legal steps, including issuing a show-cause letter and involving the County Public Service Board, which they say holds disciplinary authority. To them, this signals a troubling trend where medical professionals become convenient scapegoats.
Deputy Secretary General Dr Miskellah Dennis warned that politicising hospital management risks exposing doctors to hostility and insecurity. “Let leaders fix what is broken — hire enough staff, provide equipment and drugs — and allow doctors to treat patients,” he said. “Public vilification over systemic failures erodes morale and creates fear.”
Behind the statements is a quieter concern shared by many healthcare workers: confidence. Doctors say that when one colleague is publicly punished without due process, it shakes the resolve of others working long hours in high-pressure environments.
“When you touch one doctor, you destroy the confidence of others handling patients in that hospital,” Dr Atellah said. “Our work is to build dignity and confidence in the service doctors provide.”
The union has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the county government, demanding reinstatement of the CEO and resolution of outstanding labour concerns, failing which it has threatened industrial action.
Beyond the Coast dispute, KMPDU also raised alarm over alleged corruption at the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), claiming some officials solicit bribes in handling professional complaints.
The union insists that more than 90 per cent of reported negligence cases stem from systemic weaknesses rather than individual malpractice.
