February 2017 BusinessDaily; Nairobi-based supplier Equip Agencies has sued the Ministry of Health, demanding Sh35.4 billion as compensation for two botched tenders for the supply of anti-malarial drugs between 1993 and 1995. The firm says it was awarded Sh2.3 billion by High Court judge Muga Apondi in 2011 as compensation …
Read More »KENYA: Doctors halt talks, prepare vigils for 7 jailed officials
February 2017 CapitalFM; Doctors are planning to hold month long vigils in solidarity with seven of their top union officials who were jailed Monday for contempt by the Industrial and Labour Relations court. Following the ruling, Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Union (KMPDU) Nairobi Branch Secretary General Thuranira Kaugiria stated …
Read More »KENYA: Health CS, PS rivalry to blame for doctors strike, says Atwoli
February 2017 DailyNation; Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary General Francis Atwoli wants President Uhuru Kenyatta to reign on Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu and Principal Secretary Nicholas Muraguri to end the ongoing doctors’ strike. On Sunday, Mr Atwoli admitted that had been unable to end the doctors’ strike, …
Read More »NIGERIA: Senate Committee – Nigeria Has Highest Maternal Mortality Rate in the World
February 2017 ThisDay; With 2,300 children below five years of age and 145 child-bearing women dying every day, Nigeria has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world, it was learnt yesterday. Citing the report of the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator …
Read More »CHAD: Hepatitis E Outbreak Kills 11 in Chad, Threatens Hundreds More – Charity
February 2017 Reuters; Hundreds of people in southeastern Chad are at risk of dying from a worsening hepatitis E outbreak which has killed 11 people since September, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Thursday. Some 885 people in the Salamat region have been treated for symptoms of jaundice, …
Read More »KENYA: Address poor sanitation to improve economic prospects, World Bank says
February 2017 BusinessDaily; The World Bank has warned that Kenya will continue to suffer the economic costs of poor sanitation unless it addresses the challenges arising from diarrhoeal disease, cholera and other epidemics. Christiaan Heymans, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist at the World Bank, noted that far too many aspects …
Read More »KENYA: AAR targets employees with Sh5m health cover in retirement package
February 2017 BusinessDaily; AAR Insurance has unveiled a post-retirement medical cover for employees aged below 60 years, becoming the third firm to launch such a product in the market. Dubbed ‘‘Afya Plus Post-retirement Cover’’, it has a limit of between Sh1 million and Sh5 million for inpatient and Sh100,000 to …
Read More »KENYA: Nurses in Embu boycott work over unpaid allowances
February 2017 DailyNation; Nurses in Embu have gone on strike protesting against failure by the county government to pay them allowances negotiated in 2016. The over 600 nurses stormed the Embu County government offices Wednesday afternoon, demanding to be paid Sh12,000 each, which the government agreed to pay them as …
Read More »KENYA: Five medical interns from Somalia arrested in Meru
February 2017 DailyNation; Five medical interns from Somalia were arrested on Wednesday in Meru and handed over to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit for being in the country illegally. They were arrested in Makutano following a tip-off from the public, North Imenti police boss Sammy Kosgey said. The suspects, who are …
Read More »KENYA: Mother sues hospital for testing 12-year-old daughter for HIV sans consent
February 2017 CapitalFM; A minor has sued a hospital that allegedly subjected her to an involuntary HIV/AIDS test and giving her the wrong results in violation of her right to privacy. The 12-year-old girl through her mother has sued the Athi River Shalom Community Hospital together with the Kenya Medical …
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