Medics end strike after Busia agrees to address grievances

Healthcare workers in Busia on Monday agreed to return to work within 24 hours after the county pledged to address their demands.

The medics went on a go-slow last week to push for payment of staff arrears, promotions and medical supplies.

These issues will be addressed within 90 days, a meeting between senior county officials and representatives of health workers agreed.

A return-to-work agreement signed after the meeting said some of the demands will be addressed within one to two weeks, while other demands will be fulfilled between one and three months.

Public Service chief executive Andrew Nakitare said at a press briefing the meeting was fruitful.

“What the unions are agitating for, we have looked through and we have agreed they will be implemented,” he said.

Nakitare added that the county is doing a lot of work to reform the health sector.

“This includes aligning our policies, career progression manuals, expansion of healthcare services to address our needs and hiring adequate staff to take care of the patients,” he said.

The go slow came after healthcare workers in different cadres on July 6 issued a seven-day strike notice to push for the recognition of all their unregistered Collective Bargaining Agreements.

In a statement, Kenya Union of Clinical Officers chairperson Peterson Wachira said health workers will have an outstanding nationwide strike starting at midnight on July 13.

He said the unions had given counties and the Ministry of Health 60 days from May 15 to open dialogue and agree on the matters of the CBAs, including hiring health workers on contracts.

Kuco Busia secretary general Philemon Nakoche said after negotiation, the county had agreed to address issues raised by the striking health employees.

“For salary arrears for staff, the team we have been interacting with has committed to fast-tracking to see that the staff have been paid their arrears, while the promotions which stalled will also be looked at,” he said.

“We want to apologise to patients who are casualties of this event. And we want to tell them we have instructed our members to resume work within 24 hours. And we are telling them that their demands are going to be met.”

County Public Service Board chairperson Michael Onyura said the county is committed to addressing all demands raised by healthcare providers to ensure residents receive quality healthcare services.

“We would like to see normal services resumed as quickly as possible because it must be affecting many of our residents,” the former Butula MP said.

“We are happy that the union has called off the strike and urged workers to report to work.”

Health chief executive Beatrice Nakholi said pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical commodities which the county had procured had been received at the county stores in preparation for distribution.

Inadequate commodity supplies are among demands that compelled the healthcare workers to go on a go-slow last week.

“We are beginning to distribute medicine on Friday,” Nakholi said.

Among officials who have been engaging the county since Saturday following the go-slow were representative from Kuco, Kenya National Union of Nurses and those from Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union.