Two categories of nurses have announced plans to down their tools starting January 19, a move that is likely to paralyse healthcare services across the country.
Nurses contracted under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme and anaesthetic practitioners are pushing the national government to address their grievances.
The UHC nurses, who are at least 2,700 in number, are demanding permanent and pensionable employment, while anaesthetic practitioners (those who apply anaesthesia in the operating theatres) are calling for independence in their operations. Speaking to the press yesterday, the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives(KNUN) and Kenya National Nurses Association (KNNA) urged the government to resolve their grievances, warning that failure to meet their demands will disrupt essential services. "If these grievances are not addressed, the nurses will go on strike at midnight on January 19, 2025," warned Collins Ojwang', the President of the Kenya National Nurses Association. .Keep ReadingNurses hailed for dedication and care in patient well-beingNurses demand Sh3b in fresh employment pushDiary of an overworked and underpaid Kenyan nurseNurses union issues strike threat over allowances, contract workersThe failure to place nurses on permanent and pensionable terms has resulted in significant disparities in remuneration compared to their counterparts with permanent contracts.
This has led to discrimination in practices, including exclusion from critical allowances such as service, commuter, health risk, and uniform allowances. "We are recommending the immediate absorption of UHC nurses under permanent and pensionable terms, in line with the principle of equal pay for equal work," added Mr Ojwang'.
