Nurses strikes enters third day as patients lie helpless in public hospitals in Kisumu.

 STRIKE:Nurses from public hospitals within Kisumu County took to streets this morning while joining their colleagues countrywide in the ongoing strike-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo



By Dickson Odhiambo

June 7, 2017.

Nurses strikes enters third day as patients lie helpless in public hospitals in Kisumu.

The ongoing Countrywide Nurses strike has entered its third day in Kisumu as a number of patients lie helpless in various hospitals within the county.

This comes hand in hand as all the Nurses within two major hospitals within Kisumu City took to the streets in a show of solidarity with their colleagues who have downed their tools.

This has made operations in public hospitals in Kisumu County remained paralyzed.

Nurses from the two hospitals Kisumu County hospital and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital within the county including the seven sub county demonstrated along the major streets of Kisumu vowing they won't go back to work.

They say the Government should hear their cries on this matter failure to which they will continue striking until a lasting solution on this matter is found.

The nurses began their industrial action on Monday to push for implementation of their recently committed to Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the government.

A spot check by the this writer, shows  that nurses in the facilities did not report to work where only doctors were met attending to patients and some turned away who needed the services of the nurses.

They said the SRC and the Council of Governors should stop blame game and ensue the CBA is implemented fully.

 Maurice Opetu the acting secretary General of Kenya National Union of Nurses who spoke earlier in the week with the press says the strike will continue until their demands are met by the government.

He says they want the government to sign the already negotiated CBA for the nurses and be registered in court as earlier agreed when they signed the return to work formula.

“The strike is legal, we had an agreement with them in a return to work formula signed on 14 December and we agreed if the CBA is not negotiated and signed on 2ND on March, the nurses will proceed with the strike, "he said.

He adds that that they registered that agreement in court.
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