Two women give birth at roadside as strike bites in Meru County

Two roadside births were reported yesterday, as the health workers strike entered its second day. A woman gave birth at Kirindine in Tigania West as the workers stayed away from Miathene Hospital. Three ambulances were seen transferring patients to private hospitals.

As the patients suffered, the striking workers gathered at the hospital's compound to chart the way forward while the top management also held a meeting. Several patients were transferred to other facilities but others remained in the wards to be attended to by some nurses who chose to work. Some 2,000 health workers are on a strike to protest the county government's failure to implement several agreements including promotion of 1,200 workers and a pay rise.