Audio By Carbonatix
Doctors employed by Kenya’s Nairobi County government resumed work on Thursday following a six-day strike over delayed salaries and a lack of protective equipment when handling patients who may have COVID-19, a union official said.
Thuranira Kaugiria, Nairobi County secretary general of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, said in a WhatsApp message the doctors had returned to work after signing an agreement with county officials on Wednesday.
In the agreement, the government promised to pay doctors on the fifth day of every month, failing to which the doctors were free to stop work without notice.
The agreement, seen by Reuters, also provides doctors with two isolation facilities in the event that they contract COVID-19.
The county government also committed to providing the doctors with adequate supplies of high quality personal protective equipment, the agreement said.
The 320 striking doctors walked out last week, citing poor quality protective gear, too few isolation wards, and inadequate health insurance.
The strike only affected hospitals run by the county government, and not those run by the national government or those that are privately run.
Kenya has 33,016 confirmed coronavirus cases, 564 deaths and 19,296 recoveries out of 429,513 tests conducted, according to the Ministry of Health.
The majority of confirmed cases have been in the capital, although the government says the numbers have started rising faster in rural areas.
Latest Stories
-
Tyson Fury dominates Makhmudov, calls out Joshua next
15 minutes -
I have supported highway authority financially to fix roads in my constituency – A Plus
1 hour -
US, Iran fail to reach peace agreement after marathon talks in Pakistan
2 hours -
ECG kicks off Phase Two of transformer upgrades at Lashibi; brief outages expected
2 hours -
Port crises loom as 11,000 drivers threaten four-day strike
3 hours -
A source of excellence across generations – Vice President Opoku-Agyemang lauds Mfantsipim
4 hours -
(Photos) Mfantsipim School launches historic 150th anniversary
4 hours -
Knights and Ladies of Marshall group backs Catholic Bishops’ stance on anti-LGBTQ+
5 hours -
Bright Simons writes: All the Filla in the Ibrahim Mahama/E&P – Gold Fields Saga
6 hours -
Monetise Idiocy In Ghana
6 hours -
The Ghanaian prophet and the mysterious death of his scottish wife Charmain Speirs
7 hours -
Nearly 400 sentenced in Nigeria for links to militant Islamists
7 hours -
Ghana’s recovery supported by gold strength despite global oil price pressures – Standard Bank Research
7 hours -
Methodist Church hails Mfantsipim@150; calls for “fresh consecration” to excellence
7 hours -
‘Excellence is our inheritance’ – Nana Sam Brew-Butler hails Mfantsipim’s 150-year reign in leadership
8 hours