Nurses union halts strike as ministry promises action

The Ministry of Health has requested that nurses give it 21 days to address the issues affecting those employed under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme.

The ministry has also reinstated the operation of anaesthetic services to their previous practice, allowing nurses to offer services independently, without requiring supervision by doctors.

This decision was made in an effort to avert a nationwide strike planned by two groups of nurses, which was set to begin today, with employees staging a sit-in at Afya House to demand action.

“We urge the UHC staff to be patient for the 21 days requested by the government to resolve their issues,” said Seth Panyako, Secretary General of the Kenya Union of Nurses and Midwives, in an interview with The Standard.

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The nurses’ union had demanded the permanent and pensionable employment of 2,700 UHC nurses.

According to the union, the failure to offer the nurses permanent contracts had resulted in significant disparities in remuneration compared to their counterparts with permanent positions.

The UHC nurses also claim they face discrimination, including exclusion from critical allowances such as service, commuter, health risk, and uniform allowances.

In addition, the union is demanding the payment of all salary arrears owed to the nurses.

Although most nurses are employed by county governments, the counties have distanced themselves from the dispute, stating that the nurses are employed by the national government and seconded to the counties.

“I agree with the counties—these nurses are employees of the Ministry of Health and the Public Service Commission,” Panyako said.

The 2,700 nurses were among 9,000 healthcare workers employed by the national government in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic to bolster healthcare services. Some of these workers have since been absorbed into permanent positions, leaving the future of the others uncertain.

Panyako emphasised that despite delays in absorbing UHC nurses into permanent positions, the Ministry of Health has a budget allocated for employing contracted health providers.

“Money for UHC is at Afya House, and they want to divert it,” he claimed.

Regarding the pre-authorisation of nurse anaesthetists and the empanelling of nursing facilities, the government has reverted to the practice where regulatory bodies-approved facilities will be recognised by the Social Health Authority (SHA).

Nurses were not permitted to offer anaesthetic services independently, nor could they run hospitals without doctor supervision.

“Pre-authorisation for nurse anaesthetists has been reverted to earlier practice. They are now allowed pre-authorisation,” said the nurses’ representative.

The ministry had been accused of not allowing anaesthetist-trained nurses to perform their role independently, without doctor supervision.

Panyako stressed that nurses are qualified professionals, having specialised to offer expert care, just like doctors.

Joseph Ngwasi, chairman of the nurses’ union, said nurses cannot be regulated by doctors, as they already have their own regulatory body—the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK).

“Nurses have a regulatory body. Why should we be regulated by doctors?” Ngwasi questioned.

Other challenges highlighted by the union include shortage of nurses across the country. According to the union, the shortage had significantly delayed patient access to healthcare services and overburdened the existing workforce.

The union is urging the government to hire at least 50,000 nurses to address the shortage to strengthen the healthcare delivery system.

Additionally, the union is calling for the establishment of a clear career pathway for nurses, proper administration of nursing services through the creation of a Directorate of Nursing, and full implementation of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).