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Another pain for patients as medics strike over deal

 

Nyeri County nurses led by the Kenya National Union of Nurses national organising secretary, Anne Githiong'o (centre), at the Nyeri health centre yesterday at the start of a go-slow to demand better remuneration and staffing. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

Medical services in some parts of the country are slowly grinding to a halt as strikes by health workers take off.

It is barely two months since doctors called off a countrywide strike that had stretched for more than 100 days as the medics haggled with the national and county governments over the implementation of a collective bargaining agreement.

It took the signing of a return-to-work formula between medics’ unions, county governments, and the Health Ministry to end the suffering of patients as hospitals came back to life.

New round

But now a new round of protests by a section of dissatisfied health workers appears to be looming.

In Nyeri County, patients admitted to public hospitals were yesterday discharged after nurses began a strike over promotions and staff shortages.

The nurses had issued a strike notice on April 6, demanding that the county hire more nurses and promote those working in various facilities.

A spot check at the Nyeri County Referral Hospital found that operations had slowed down as nurses prepared to leave.

At Nyeri town health centres, patients were turned away as there were no employees to attend to them.

According to the Kenya National Union of Nurses Nyeri branch secretary, Beatrice Nduati, the county had failed to hire nurses to fill the gap that had been created when 400 nurses left.

“The county promised to hire 400 nurses in 2015, but it never did. They have been giving us empty promises with no action,” she said.

Ms Nduati said the county had failed to hire or promote any nurses for the past four years and that the nurses would not resume work until their grievances were addressed.

In Bungoma, the nurses’ union has issued a 14-day strike notice to the county government.

The nurses claimed that the county government had failed to honour the terms of an agreement signed in 2015.

Secretary-General George Musindi said the county government was to promote some nurses to various job groups and re-designate others to different areas.

Mr Musindi said that even though the county had promoted about 600 nurses, it had failed to honour the pledge to elevate the others.

In Kisumu, the stalemate between doctors and the county government showed no signs of ending any time soon as the strike entered the sixth day.

The doctors, who are demanding an audience with Governor Jack Ranguma, said they were not at work because they lacked the resources and means.

County doctors’ representative Gabriel Ouma said the medics did not understand why they received March payslips that indicated that they had been paid more than half their salaries.

Report by Lydiah Nyawira, Raphael Wanjala, and Maureen Odiwuor

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