Counties urged to hire more nurses and improve working conditions to avert strikes
Midwives from across the country listen to a presentation at the 21st Midwives Annual Scientific Conference at the Reef Hotel in Mombasa on August 11, 2015. County governments have been urged to improve working conditions for nurses. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Official's remarks coincided with the death of an 11-year-old boy in Kilifi County on Tuesday morning following a strike by nurses that ended a day later
- Knun Mombasa trustee Stanley Mwailogho lamented at the meeting that after devolution, health workers were left at the mercy of politicians in the counties who treated them as they pleased.
- Ms Otieno told the nurses and midwives that the government is planning to boost their services through sponsoring training programmes for midwives and nurses.
The Ministry of Health has asked county governments to hire more nurses and improve the working conditions of the ones currently employed to avert strikes.
The director of nursing in the ministry, Ms Susan Otieno, said delayed salaries, lack of promotions and recognition of services given by nurses is to blame for their frequent strikes that were in turn affecting health services in the counties.
She challenged county public service boards to improve the welfare of their health workers even as she expressed displeasure over the work boycotts.
“County governments need to promote nurses, pay their salaries on time, recognise and appreciate their work even if it is not through monetary offers, and this will motivate them to work.
“That is the only way they are going to ensure quality health services in the counties. They ought to do so through their county public service boards,” she said.
Ms Otieno was speaking Wednesday evening after she opened the midwives conference at the Reef Hotel.
NURSES STRIKE
Her remarks coincided with the death of an 11-year-old boy in Kilifi County on Tuesday morning following a strike by nurses that ended a day later after they agreed on a return-to-work formula with county leadership.
Earlier, Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) Mombasa trustee Stanley Mwailogho lamented at the meeting that after devolution, health workers were left at the mercy of politicians in the counties who treated them as they pleased.
“You will find two nurses who are working on a shift attending to 30 patients at the maternity ward and becoming overwhelmed in their duties,” the Knun official said.
Other participants had told the meeting that many nurses had acquired higher qualifications in the course of their careers but were still stuck in the same job groups with no sign of promotion.
Ms Otieno told the nurses and midwives that the government is planning to boost their services through sponsoring training programmes for midwives and nurses.
“Out of the money set aside for training by the ministry includes a separate portion for training health workers on reproductive health,” she said.
