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Kenyatta National Hospital. (Photo:Standard)
By Ali Jamah
Nairobi-Kenya: The Government Thursday bowed to pressure from industrial action taken by nurses and unionisable staff which largely paralysed services at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
Cabinet Secretary for Health James Macharia announced nurses will be paid in full as per terms of the Comprehensive Bargain Agreement reached in 2009 effective July.
His announcement came as patients continued to suffer as nurses withdrew their services at Kenya’s national referral hospital in the capital Nairobi.
Said the Cabinet Secretary: “The Government will ensure full implementation of the Comprehensive Bargaining Agreement (CBA) from July 2013, and the National Treasury will provide resources to ensure full implementation of the CBA beginning July 2013.”
His statement came hot on the heels of the industrial action on 19th June, 2013 by Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) unionsable staff of Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions and Hospital Workers (KUDHEIHA) in regard to the negotiated Comprehensive Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of 2009 – 2013.
Macharia appealed to the union officials to call off the industrial action with immediate effect to ensure resumption of full services by all their members. I further call upon all the staff to fully cooperate to alleviate the suffering of the patients.
He thanked all those members of Kenyatta National Hospital staff who have continued to offer services during this period of industrial action.
About 2000 Kenyatta National Hospital nurses had downed tools and loudly protested along the corridors of the hospital Wednesday claiming the administration had reneged on the CBA.
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