By Ronald Njoroge
Dr. Davji Bhimji Secretary General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) on Monday urged media houses to be objective when reporting on issues affecting the medical fraternity.
Bhimji said that the story in the Daily nation of Saturday 24th September 2022 carries a lot of fundamental errors of fact which make it read more like a witch-hunt.
“The story is nevertheless a good attempt at attracting the attention of Kenyans to the plight of the Kenya Public Health sector and to this effect, it must be commended,” he added.
Bhimji observed that the media house ought to know that it is not a crime in Kenya for civil servants to run a business.
“Trying to selectively criminalize it for the doctors must be one of the most inhuman and calculated attempts to kill a dog by first giving it a bad name,” he added.
He urged the media house to study the content of the human resource policies and procedures for the public service which makes provisions for those whose work arrangements may not strictly follow the 8am to 5pm schedule.
“Doctors work in odd shifts because a doctor is on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” Bhimji revealed.
He said that doctors’ salaries are not hefy as state agencies have studiously blocked any attempt for a CBA to be concluded.