Kenyans can now breathe a sigh of relief after healthcare workers suspended their strike which was expected to start from Thursday midnight.
Kenya Union of Clinical Officers chairperson Peterson Wachira said the move was arrived at to allow time for negotiations between the respective unions and the Ministry of Health.
This was after a two-day meeting between the unions' officials and Public Health and Professional Standards PS Mary Muthomi.
The unions had given the Ministry of Health and counties a 60-day strike notice on May 15 to address their grievances including the conclusion of CBAs and recognition agreements.
"We have reached an agreement with the Ministry of Health following two days of talks," Wachira said.
"The agreement is on resumption and conclusion of CBA as well as continuous discussion on challenges facing the health sector. We have therefore agreed to suspend the strike for a period of 90 days."
Other unions that were to join the strike alongside KUCO include the Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHPU), Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists and Officers (KNUPT), Kenya Union of Nutritionists and Dietitians (KUNAD) and Kenya Health Professionals Society (KHPS).
The nurses had also issued a notice to join in the strike but withdrew after the Kenya National Union of Nurses headed by Seth Panyako, in a letter dated July 11, instructed members to continue offering services to Kenyans.
Panyako said the move was to allow for the negotiations which had commenced between the two parties to be concluded.
