Homa bay: Residents of Homa Bay County are breathing a sigh of relief after nurses called off their strike on Wednesday.
According to Kenya News Agency, the County Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary General, Emmardic Okeyo, announced the decision following negotiations with Department of Health officials aimed at addressing their grievances.
Over the past nine days, Homa Bay residents faced challenges as nurses ceased their duties, leading to the closure of wards in most sub-county hospitals due to a lack of staff to attend to patients. The resolution came after a meeting between the nurses’ representatives, the County Secretary, Benard Muok, and the CECM for Health, Grace Osewe, which resulted in the strike being called off.
Okeyo stated that the county’s top officials have promised to tackle their concerns, including the recruitment of an additional 30 nurses by the end of this month to alleviate the nursing shortage. In terms of promotions, the county government committed to promoting 221 nurses by April 30 and issuing re-designation letters to 116 nurses by the same date, acknowledging their higher academic qualifications.
The County government also plans to address financial issues by beginning to pay salary arrears and gratuity from the end of this month, targeting nurses who transitioned from contract to permanent and pensionable terms. Okeyo mentioned that the government is also set to start remitting pending statutory deductions by June this year.
Furthermore, a comprehensive medical cover for nurses is expected to be implemented by the end of this month, alongside the initiation of leave allowance payments from next month. Okeyo expressed satisfaction that most grievances were addressed and a roadmap established for unmet demands.
Prof. Muok emphasized the prompt response to the nurses’ grievances, underscoring the county government’s commitment to ensuring residents receive quality health services. “Our objective is to ensure Homa Bay residents get the best quality health services they deserve,” stated the county secretary.
