Health workers in Meru strike after county govt fails to address grievances
What you need to know:
- Services at Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital and other health facilities in the county were grounded as nurses gathered at the referral hospital.
- However, a few medical workers at the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital were seen attending to patients as others gathered outside.
- KMPDU Upper Eastern secretary-general Dennis Wahome said the workers will not renege on their push for a better working environment.
- Meru Kenya Clinical Officers Association chairman Wilson Namu said the county has a shortage of about 400 nurses.
Health workers in Meru have gone on strike after what they termed as failure by the county government to address various grievances following the expiry of a 14-day notice.
They want the county government to address salary delays, lack of promotions, lack of hardship and transfer allowances, poor working conditions, lack of annual increments and punitive transfers.
Services at the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital and other health facilities in the county were grounded as nurses gathered at the referral hospital.
However, a few medical workers at the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital were seen attending to patients as others gathered outside.
The medics are accusing the county government of failing to address the 10-point grievances in a notice issued two weeks ago.
Leading the strike were officials from the Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun), Kenya Progressive Nurses Association, Kenya Laboratory Technicians Association, Kenya Clinical Officers Association, National Nurses Association of Kenya and Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union.
The workers want the county government to address of shortage of staff in health facilities, correct designations of all deserving health workers and confirmation of workers who have finished their probation period.
Some of the striking Meru County health workers when they gathered at the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital on September 1, 2015. PHOTO | DAVID MUCHUI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
NO INTEREST IN DIALOGUE
“Our notice to the county government fell into deaf ears. The county has not expressed interest in having dialogue with us,” Meru Knun secretary general Nassebit Mugendi said.
Meru Kenya Clinical Officers Association chairman Wilson Namu said the county has a shortage of about 400 nurses, 250 clinical officers and about 30 doctors.
“The county government has shown no effort in addressing this. They have not given us any reason why we should not down our tools,” he said.
KMPDU Upper Eastern secretary-general Dennis Wahome said the workers will not renege on their push for a better working environment.
“I am here to show support for health workers in Meru County. The situation is not different in other counties. We will not bulge until the county government addresses the 10 demands,” Dr Wahome said.
Meru Knun chairman Mugambi Bakari said the union would support the county bosses if they showed seriousness in pushing the National Government to release health workers’ salaries in time.
