Patients in agony as Kenyan nurses sent packing

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...More info Click here