Nurses from the Moi Teaching Referral Hospital have ended their 15-day strike after the hospital signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN).
Patients who had endured disruptions to services during the strike can now breathe a sigh of relief as the nurses have pledged to restore services.
"I just want to say that the members of MTRH who have been on strike since March have ended the strike. We have reached an amicable agreement beneficial to both parties," Daniel Osoro, the Secretary-General for KNUN, confirmed.
Despite the agreement, Osoro criticized the hospital's management for allowing the strike to persist for so long without taking immediate action. However, he revealed that the management has promised that such a situation will not recur.
"I want to tell the management of MTRH that it is unfortunate that the nurses must withdraw services to be heard. But, we believe through the leadership of the CEO, in future, we will not get to this extent," he continued.
The nurses began the strike on March 19, citing grievances such as delayed remittance of statutory deductions, lack of promotions, and inadequate medical cover.
Many expressed frustration over being blacklisted by the Credit Reference Bureau, making it difficult to access loans.
Following the strike, operations in the hospital remained paralyzed as doctors were overwhelmed with patients. The doctors resorted to patient discharges as the emergency department was no longer admitting new cases.
Wards that housed more than 200 patients dropped to 50 as services continued to crumble due to the strike.
The hospital management tried to manage the situation and asked the nurses to go back to work, but the nurses remained adamant about not returning to work until their grievances were heard.
Meanwhile, in Makueni, Kenya, the Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has temporarily halted a three-month strike by clinical officers to give room for further discussions.
A negotiation committee has been formed, and the county has been given 30 days to resolve the issues or the strike will resume.
