Services still paralysed in Nakuru County as nurses demand promotions

A patient at the Rift Valley provincial General Hospital in Nakuru returning home after she failed to receive medical care following nurses strike. The nurses who commenced strike on December 1 demand promotion of 774 healthcare workers. (PHOTO: MERCY KAHENDA/ STANDARD)

Services in health facilities in Nakuru County remain paralysed despite the agreement between Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) and Council of Governors to end nurses' strike.

The 1,200 nurses in the county downed their tools prior to the countrywide strike on December 1, demanding promotion of 774 healthcare workers.

Speaking to The Standard, the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary General Nakuru branch Cyprine Odera said officials have been pushing for dialogue with health executives without success.

Ms Odera said instead of implementing promotion agreement arrived at in July this year the executive resorted to victimizing striking force by advertising their positions vacant through the Public Service Board (PB).

The official said they held a meeting with county on November 29, that was chaired by director of administration and planning Dr Benedict Osore who said 212 employees had been promoted.

However, Odera said the employees not received promotion letters and that the move was meant to victimise the striking force.

"Nurses are still on strike because the county government has not put up any mechanisms to find a solution in regard to promotions," said Odera.

Other issues raised by the union official is lack of enough human resource to serve high mobility in public hospitals.

However, contrary to the nurses' claims, Governor Kinuthia Mbugua said employment of healthcare workers on seven months' contract was aimed at ensuring smooth service delivery in hospitals.

Mbugua said executive had also formed a taskforce comprising of health executive Dr Mungai Kabii Nakuru County Assembly Health Committee Members, County Public Service Board Members and Chief Officer Dr Samuel Mwaura to look into the issue of the striking nurses.

"The newly recruited healthcare workers will provide services as taskforce tries to get a solution to the strike," said Mbugua during an interview with The Standard.

Despite the county having employed the healthcare employees, services in public hospitals are still paralysed.

A spot check by The Standard at the Rift valley Provincial General Hospital revealed desperate patients who had not been attended.

The Level 5 hospital that serves patients from Nakuru and neighbouring Baringo, Samburu, Narok, Bomet and Kericho, among others, do not admit patients.

Sabina Nyambura, 73, a patient suffering from liver complications, was forced to seek services in a private hospital after having failed to be treated at the hospital.

Nyambura was put on a drip at the hospital to stabilise her condition and later asked to find alternative treatment outside the facility.

"I brought my mother-in-law who is very weak but she has not been attended to. The doctor who received her said they are not admitting patients because there are no nurses to work in the wards," said Julius Mwangi.

Another patient, Margaret Koech from Salgaa area, was suffering chest problems but there was nobody to attend to her.

"I came here at around 8am but there is no doctor or nurse to attend to me. I am in deep pain," she said.

At the casualty department, there were also no medics to attend to patients with most being turned away to seek services in private hospitals.

The maternity wing is also not operational including all wards putting expectant mothers at risk of death during deliveries.

The health workers who include 140 nurses, 25 lab technicians, 17 pharmacists and 5 health record officers according to the county will deployed to restore normal operations in county health facilities.

The chair said union officials held a meeting with county that was chaired by director of administration and planning, Dr Benedict Osore, who said 212 employees had been promoted.

However, Odera said the said officers have not received promotion letters and that the move was meant to victimise the striking force.