Nurses threaten to strike over virus challenges

Nurses have threatened to go on strike Monday over government's failure to address issues they are facing while caring for Covid-19 patients.

The Kenya National Union of Nurses has warned that healthcare workers will only go back to work when they are provided with N95 masks, are fully paid their salary arrears and their insurance package catered for. 

The union has further given the Senate and county governments up to Friday to ensure the budget is passed, money released and salary and all third-party deductions remitted. 

“If they fail to do this, we will come to help them to legislate as they attend to patients and other matters of national importance from Monday,” union secretary general Seth Panyako said.

The union observed that some healthcare workers have not been paid salaries for three months while the majority are yet to receive their two months' arrears.

“The national government’s unresponsiveness, aloofness, deadened and woodened position it has assumed while public servants in counties writhe in agony coupled with mortifying experiences should not go uncontested. If this is not a form of government mandarins, then what is it?” Panyako asked.

He said the funds that will be released to the counties should factor in the cost of implementing the ongoing negotiation of the nurses' CBA which is almost getting completed. 

The union has warned against any action by the Senate to allow any reduction of county revenue allocation that might lead to lay-offs, hinder promotions among nurses and other health workers and annual incremental credits, or hinder the hiring of more nurses and other health workers to combat Covid-19 infections.

“In fact, we demand employment of all jobless nurses who are about 7,000 in Kenya.”

They are demanding that a risk allowance of Sh20,000 be introduced in their payslips permanently, adding that nurses are three times more susceptible to infections than any other health worker.

Statistics show that for every other health worker infected with Covid-19, there are three nurses infected. Current data shows that 18 per cent of all health workers infected are nurses, laboratory officers account for seven per cent while doctors and clinical officers account for six per cent of all infections.

Volunteers account for three per cent, pharmacists three per cent while other staff account for three per cent.

The nurses are also demanding the reinstatement of NHIF Civil Servant scheme with immediate effect. 

“It is so abhorrent that health workers cannot afford the services they offer to their clients. This country is taking this wisecrack too far and it must be put to a stop,” Panyako said. 

The union is also protesting the employment of nurses on "dubious terms in form of illegal contracts and internship programmes".

Panyako noted that this has put the nursing profession under strain. 

Edited by R.Wamochie