End Toxic Workplaces: KMPDU Demands In Response To Medical Intern's Death

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacist and Dentists Union (KMPDU) is now pushing for better working conditions for all healthcare workers in the country, including medical interns, as well as timely and fair compensation among them.

KMPDU Secretary-General, Davji Atellah on Tuesday, September 24 issued a statement following the tragic demise of Dr. Desree Moraa, a medical intern at Gatundu Level 5 Hospital, noting that she was working under treacherous conditions that posed a major threat to her safety.

"We regret the untimely passing of Dr. Desree Moraa Obwogi, a young, dedicated doctor whose life was tragically cut short," the KMPDU boss mourned.

"Dr. Desree was working as an intern at Gatundu Level 5 Hospital under very difficult, dangerous and indecent conditions that did not guarantee her safety and overall well-being. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends, and colleagues who will be forever impacted by this unimaginable loss."

The late Dr. Desree Moraa Obwogi was a medical intern at the Gatundu County Referral Hospital, Kiambu County. /FILE

Atellah lamented that the demise of the medical intern was a sad but glaring manifestation of the broken state of Kenya's healthcare system which has not only been accused of failing to remit and underpay hardworking young doctors but continuously undermining their safety and basic human rights.

According to him, "a workplace should not make workers feel so isolated and desperate that they believe there is no way out."

"The system as designed failed Dr. Moraa and many others who we have mourned before. It is a dangerous system that will continue to wreak havoc on the lives of healthcare workers. We must together resist it," Atellah added in his clarion call.

To get to the bottom of the matter, he called for widespread resistance to a modern-day level of exploitation and challenge embedded structural failures that take a huge toll on the mental health of medical workers, leading to tragic deaths similar to that of Dr Moraa.

"We owe it to Dr. Moraa and every healthcare worker in this country; to demand work environments that prioritize workers' mental well-being, ensure timely and fair compensation, and hold accountable those who perpetuate abuse and exploitation," he vowed, his remarks looking like a revisiting of conversations with the government to push for better working conditions and terms in the medical space in the country.