KNCHR warns of health crisis as nurses’ strike continues
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has declared the ongoing nurses' strike a public health and human rights crisis. The commission is urging the government to intervene, citing concerns over preventable deaths and the violation of citizens' rights to healthcare.
Why it matters
The strike highlights the tension between labor rights and the fundamental human right to access essential medical services during a national health crisis.
KNCHR chairperson Claris Ogangah The ongoing nationwide nurses’ strike has escalated into a human rights and public health crisis, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has warned, stressing that continued disruption of healthcare services is putting patients’ lives and dignity at risk.
KNCHR Chairperson Claris Ogangah, in a statement, said the prolonged labour dispute could no longer be treated solely as an employment disagreement.
She urged the National and County Governments to urgently intervene and restore essential health services.
“The disruption threatens the rights of patients to life, the highest attainable standard of health, emergency medical treatment and dignity,” Ogangah said in a statement issued on Friday.
The Commission said it was particularly concerned about reports of deaths recorded during the strike, including maternal, neonatal and perinatal cases.
It called for the figures and circumstances surrounding them to be independently verified.
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