Public hospital nurses in Vihiga county on Monday went on strike following the expiry of a seven-day notice they issued last week demanding overdue January salaries.
Through the Kenya National Union of Nurses, the nurses wrote to the county administration on February 10, giving them five days to pay up or they would down tools.
Health services were disrupted in several hospitals the Star visited early Monday morning.
Mumboha health centre, Ekamanji and Emuhaya in Luanda subcounty were open but there was no activity in either facility except for security officers manning the gates.
There were no services in Ematuli and Ipali hospitals in Emuhaya subcounty. Vihiga and Sabatia health centres seem to have suspended services from Saturday.
The Mbale Referral Hospital suspended services from Friday last week and discharged patients from its wards.
The officer-in-charge of Mbale Referral Hospital declined to speak to the Star, saying it is only the Health CEC who should be contacted about the matter.
Those who tried to seek services at Mbale Referral Hospital were advised to visit the private facilities, while patients requiring emergency care were referred to Kakamega.
Among those sent to Kakamega included Kaimosi Friends University college students.
KNUN Vihiga chairman Zadock Miheso told the Star on the phone that the county government has called for a meeting with the union to discuss the issue.
MIheso told the Star that the strike will go on till the payments are made to the workers.
“We are not here to listen to those theories of the county has no money. We are not going to buy that,” Miheso said.
On Monday, Governor Wilber Ottichilo appealed to the nurses not to go on strike as the county tries its best to solve the issue.
“We are getting it tough over these pending bills. Even the Controller of Budget seems not to approve our estimates. We are trying our best to see fix this problem as early as possible for our people to get services," the governor's press boss Victor Wetende said.
The union officials have dismissed the statement, saying that the recurrent budgets are not affected by the county's pending bills matters.
