Kericho County government has announced the recruitment of 150 new nurses amid a nationwide nurses' strike.

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Governor Erick Mutai said the newly recruited nurses will report from Tuesday, September 1, in an effort to restore healthcare services in the county.

In a statement on Tuesday, September 1, Mutai said the nurses have been employed on an emergency basis, as part of measures by the county government to ensure health facilities continue providing essential services despite the ongoing industrial action by nurses.

"We have made significant progress in our efforts to ensure that service delivery resumes in our health facilities, with or without the ongoing national nurses' strike. We have completed the emergency recruitment of 150 nurses, who are reporting today for induction and orientation. We expect them to be deployed to our hospitals later today," Governor Mutai announced.

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According to the governor, outpatient services had already started improving, with the county also set to resume admission of inpatients, emphasising Kericho County's commitment to ensuring residents continued accessing essential healthcare services regardless of the circumstances.

"Outpatient services are already picking up, and we shall resume the admission of inpatients from today. Our commitment is clear: our people must continue to receive essential healthcare services regardless of the circumstances," he added.

The move comes amid a nationwide nurses' strike that has lasted for five weeks, with nurses still vowing to continue with the action.

According to the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM), they will continue the nationwide nurses' strike into its fifth week, saying the industrial action will only end after the government and the Council of Governors agree to sign and implement a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

KNUNM National Chairperson Joseph Gwosi said negotiations had resolved the issue of nurses who had been working on contract under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, with affected workers beginning to receive letters confirming their employment on permanent terms.

He said the union and the Council of Governors had also agreed to establish a joint committee to develop career guidelines for nurses. However, the implementation of the CBA remained the main outstanding issue.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke