Services at the Nakuru General Hospital and other health centres in the county were disrupted on Wednesday following a go-slow by health workers due to delayed salaries.
Health Care Givers chairman Julius Nyambaka who spoke to this writer revealed that delay of salaries by the county government continues to affect the morale among health workers.
“It is unfortunate that health workers are now suffering in the hands of county governments. How can we be expected to pay our bills with delayed salaries?” wondered Nyambaka.
This is the latest conflict between healthcare staff and county governments that continues to hurt patients who cannot afford services in the costlier private hospitals.
Dr Oruko Sitima, a South Rift union official, said health workers have in the past protested over delays in payment of salaries, promotions and anomalies in pay slips since the health function was transferred to the devolved units.
Dr Sitima said that various protest letters to Governor Kinuthia Mbugua and to the Health Ministry had yielded no fruit but only got empty promises of efforts to ensure consistence in payment of with union leaders being threatened with the sack.
“The situation has been the same every month. We are tired and discouraged,” said Dr Sitima.
The go-slow threatens to put lives of patients in wards and those arriving at the casualty department at risk.
Dr Sitima urged the county government to move with speed so as to ease suffering of residents and help improve the lives of the workers’ families.
A spot check by this writer showed that the workers had downed tools with patients stranded at the hospital’s inpatient area.
“The situation is wanting as health workers have walked out in protest. We don’t know what we should do with our patients who are in a critical condition,” said a patient at the casualty department in the hospital.
Efforts to reach the County Executive of health Dr Kabii Mungai were futile as calls went unanswered.