Patients in public hospitals have been left in limbo after Health workers begun an industrial strike at the lapse of their 21 day notice. – By Gerald Gekara.
The doctors, nurses and clinical workers have for long been complaining against lack of critical Personal protective equipment and better working conditions.
The nurses are protesting the delay of Kshs. 30,000 Risk Allowance to all Nurses, and for the government to Remit Statutory and Third-party deductions to the respective institutions.
Confirmation of contract nurses to Permanent and Pensionable Terms of Service, while provision of adequate and standard PPEs in all public hospitals remains a hot item on their demands.
The strike comes amid high numbers of COVID-19 infections currently raging the country, and increasing death toll as a result of the pandemic.
As of this publication, there are 1,178 patients admitted in various health facilities countrywide with 8,113 on Home Based Isolation and Care.
86 patients are in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 36 of whom are on ventilatory support, and 49 on supplemental oxygen.
8 patients have succumbed to the disease bringing cumulative fatalities to 1,526.
396 people tested positive for the virus, from a sample size of 4,717 tested in the last 24 hours, bringing to 88,380 the number of confirmed positive cases in the country. The cumulative tests are now 931,799.
