Medical Practitioners at Kenyan Facility Urged to Treat Poor Patients with Love and Dignity: “Don't chase them away”

Nakuru, 19 December, 2025 / 10:22 PM

The Bishop of Kenya's Catholic Diocese of Nakuru has called on medical practitioners to handle patients with compassion, patience, and dignity, reminding them that serving the sick is a direct participation in the ministry of Christ.

In his Friday, December 19 homily during the launch of the 2025-2030 strategic plan for St. Anthony Catholic Hospital in the Diocese, Bishop Cleophas Oseso Tuka emphasized that those seeking medical care are vulnerable and in need, and should never be turned away, especially the poor.

“Don’t chase away those who do not have, when they come to this place. You may be chasing away Christ who is in that poor person who needs your care, service, love, and patience. Be good ambassadors of Christ,” he said.

“You, who have been entrusted with this responsibility, carry out this work faithfully. Be faithful; you are participating in the ministry of Christ. What you are doing, do it well,” he added.

The Bishop reminded the healthcare workers that their role is not merely professional but also vocational, requiring love and compassion as essential elements of their service.

“To be a medical personnel must also be a vocation. You cannot treat people if you don’t have love for the people,” he said.

He emphasized that what draws people to a hospital is not only the availability of medicine, but the manner in which patients are treated from the moment they enter the facility.

“Are you handling the patients with care? Are you talking with them like a fellow human being? Is this a place the patient will say I’ll go back again,” he said, adding that negative experiences often discourage patients from returning to health facilities.

The Church leader urged hospital staff to act as ambassadors of Christ, noting that everything they do reflects the image of the Church.

“Let those who come here see it's Christ who has treated them. It’s Christ who has had an encounter with them. We are ambassadors of Christ, and that is your mission,” he said.

Bishop Oseso reminded medical practitioners serving in Catholic facilities that they are the image of the Church where they serve. 

“You who work here have a bigger responsibility. You are agents of the Church. Everything you do, you are reflecting what the Church is,” he said.

Bishop Oseso also cautioned healthcare workers who are after the downfall of the institution, urging them to uphold responsibility and care in their service to help the facility grow.

“Your mission is to help this facility become a bigger facility to help the people around this region. Don't be the cause of its downfall’ he said, and added, “Sometimes people work in places but they are the number one destroyers of those facilities. Promote this facility. It has given you an opportunity to serve.”

The Kenyan Bishop described the facility's 2025-2030 strategic plan as an opportunity for renewal, calling the hospital to offer its services in a renewed spirit that mirrors Christ’s mission to heal, touch, and give hope to the sick.