- KUCO SG George Gibore said out of the 10 issues they had outlined by the clinicians, only one on career progression has been agreed upon.
- The Employment and Labour Relations Court on May 9 ordered the employers to enter into a Return to Work Agreement and register the same in court on June 25.
Image: MAGDALINE SAYA
Clinicians have maintained that their strike is on until all the issues they had raised are addressed.
Speaking in Nairobi on Sunday, the Kenyan Union of Clinical Officers said the strike which enters its 85th day on Monday, has been necessitated by both levels of government to honour court orders directing them to conclude CBA negotiations.
KUCO secretary general George Gibore said out of the 10 issues outlined by the clinicians, only one on career progression has been agreed upon.
Clinicians downed their tools on April 1 over a number of grievances.
The Employment and Labour Relations Court on May 9 ordered the employers to enter into a return to work agreement and register the same in court on June 25.
“While negotiations have been ongoing, we are dismayed by the laxity with which it is being handled,” Gibore said.
He said the government has maintained that it lacks the resources to implement some of their demands such as employment of more healthcare workers and their promotions.
They are demanding that the national and county governments issue confirmation letters on permanent and pensionable terms to UHC staff hired during the Covid-19 period.
They also want the national government and counties to recruit more than 20,000 unemployed and qualified clinical officers to cover the existing shortage.
The union also demands the government provides comprehensive medical cover for all actively serving clinical officers in the public sector so they can access services wherever they need them.
“The issue has been implementation and prioritisation; that there are no resources even to put the healthcare workers in a comprehensive medical cover that can guarantee them the medical services that they offer and that is the reason why we are still on strike at this time,” Gibore said.
“Our interests have been made very clear, our 10-point agenda that we brought on the table has not been addressed except for one. We are on strike to have our issues addressed so that we can continue offering services to Kenyans,” Gibore said.
The clinicians have however pledged to take this time to offer services to protesters who will get injured during the anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.
The union said they will send emergency teams to various parts of the country where protests will be taking place to offer care to those in need of medical attention.
"Now that we are not in those hospitals, we will be outside here giving services. We will use our own resources to give services to those people who will be injured, including police, so that then we don't lose life in line of them exercising their constitutional right," Gibore said.
KUCO national chairperson Peterson Wachira said this will ensure the injured get help.
The union has condemned the shooting of Rex Masai during protests in Nairobi this week, noting that his life would have been saved if there had been competent medical teams on the ground.
They have further called on the relevant agencies to ensure the officer alleged to have been involved in the shooting is brought to book.
"From that, we have analysed the situation and we have realised that if we had competent medical staff on the ground, probably Rex would not have lost his life. From that as a union, we are going to coordinate and provide medical emergency teams," Wachira said.
He said the union had already sent teams during previous protests but realised the numbers were low.
"We are going to enhance and ensure that in every town we are going to have these protests, we are going to have teams that will be responding in real time to ensure people can be taken to hospital in a manner that does not cause more injury to them to be able to preserve life," Wachira.