This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers in Kenya are facing a new challenge: a potential strike over funding and personal protective equipment. The Kenya National Union of Clinical Officers, Kenya Health Professional Society, and Kenya Laboratories Technologies have vowed to down their tools on Monday if their concerns are not addressed.
The health workers claim that the government has failed to conduct mass testing of health workers attending to COVID-19 patients, putting them at risk of transmitting the virus to their families and community. They also accuse the national and county governments of sidelining them during this period of the pandemic, pointing out that they have yet to benefit from the special allowances allocated to their colleagues.
Health workers are the backbone of the COVID-19 response, and their concerns must be addressed. The Ministry of Health has assured them of government support, including the supply of protective gear, but the unions want more. They want the ministry to recognize their role in the fight against COVID-19 and to employ contractual employees on a permanent basis to create stability in the health sector.
Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi said that the ministry is in talks with the health workers to resolve their concerns before Monday. "We are in discussions and negotiations with them to evaluate their concerns and to be able to come to a middle ground," she stated. "The Ministry is in discussion with different healthcare worker groups to look at how this can be averted."
Published on May 14, 2020
