Kenya’s public healthcare system was paralysed on Thursday after the government sacked the 25,000 striking health workers, including nurses.
They will be replaced by retired nurses and other health workers and interns, according to a government statement.
The blanket sacking was the culmination of seven days of protests by nurses, laboratory technicians, pharmacists and other health workers in government service demanding better terms of employment and working conditions.
In response to the announcement of their sackings, the nurses maintained that their strike was still on and that the government move was ill advised.
They held demonstrations in major towns and vowed to continue doing so until their demands were met.
The nurses want their extraneous allowance increased from the current Sh7,500 to Sh50,000 to be at par with doctors.
They also want non-practice allowance of Sh50,000, car allowance (night duty) of Sh40,000 and their uniform allowance increased from Sh10,000 to Sh40,000.
Announcing the sackings on Thursday, government spokesman Alfred Mutua said their names were removed from the payroll on Thursday and they will receive their dismissal letters soon.
“All illegal striking health professionals who defied the directive by Medical Services minister (Prof Anyang Nyong’o) to report to work have been dismissed,” Dr Mutua said in his address to the nation on Thursday.
“All qualified health professionals who are unemployed or retired are advised to report to the nearest health facility for interviews and deployment starting tomorrow (March 9, 2012),” Dr Mutua said.
He added: “The government has taken this firm action to alleviate further suffering of innocent Kenyans.”
“It is wrong, regardless of any disagreement, for a health professional to abscond duty and lead to loss of life or suffering.
“The government and indeed the people of Kenya will not tolerate this,” the government spokesman said.
Medical Services minister Peter Nyong’o confirmed that the health workers had been sacked for deserting work.
“They have absconded their duties leading to the suffering of Kenyans and the ministry could not tolerate it,” the minister said.
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