Relatives take care of their patients on August 25, 2014 at the Coast General Hospital. More health workers joined the salary strike, demanding to be paid their July and August salaries. County officials pleaded with the workers to resume work since July salaries had been paid. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Health workers in three district hospitals on Monday joined their Coast General colleagues in a strike to demand delayed pay.
Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and his health officials hadpromised to pay the doctors by Friday last week to end the strike that has seen up to 10 patients die at the county’s referral hospital.
On Monday, the medics were joined by nurses in street protests as the strike spread to other hospitals in the county.
Operations at Port Reitz, Tudor and Likoni district hospitals were hit as doctors and nurses took to the streets to demand their delayed salaries.
County officials insisted that money had been disbursed but blamed the electronic transfer system which, they said, was taking too long to process the cash into the workers’ bank accounts.
Speaking at a press briefing, the acting County Executive in charge of Health, Mr Tendai Mtana Lewa, the Director of Medical Services, Dr Khadija Shikely and the Acting Executive in charge of Finance, Ms Hazel Koitaba, urged the workers to resume duty to end the agony of patients.
CONDITIONS DETERIORATED
“We are calling upon doctors to check their accounts… the system we are using is an electronic system… it will take time and not all banks may receive it at the same time,’’ Mr Lewa said.
One more patient died on Monday for lack of care at the Coast General Hospital.
Relatives of the female patient said she had been admitted to Ward 2.
“My sister was a TB patient and her condition had deteriorated due to lack of health services,” said Ms Tabu Nyambura.
“We have been forced to administer medication ourselves without a doctor’s prescription because they are all on strike,” Ms Nyambura added.
She said a nurse attempted to force them to take their patient home, but they refused.
“We could not have taken her home because she was very sick. When we came back in the morning, her husband who had been taking care of her told us she had died,” a tearful Ms Nyambura said.
NURSED BY RELATIVES
Patients in most public hospitals in the county are now being nursed by their relatives.
Mr Justin Keya said he was forced to discharge his 18-year-old daughter. She was paralysed after giving birth to twins at the hospital three months ago and was re-admitted.
Mr Keya said his daughter developed complications after delivery. She had not been able to get help as the strike continued to bite.
“I am confused, I don’t know what to do anymore. Where do I take her?” asked the distressed father.
Many patients said they would not leave the facility. “I will remain here because I don’t have money to go to a private hospital,” said Mr Rashid Muye, a patient in Ward 8. “My wound has not been dressed for six days,” he added.
Initially, the strike only affected doctors at the Coast General Hospital.
About 2,000 health workers, including doctors, nurses, clinical officers, and laboratory technicians from Port Reitz, Tudor and Likoni district hospitals took to the streets on Monday chanting slogans against Mr Joho for failing to pay them.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses general-secretary, Mr Seth Panyako, who led the protests, said they will remain on strike until the national and county governments address their issues.
“Health issues facing this county must be addressed. We want two months’ salary that is July and August for permanent and pensionable health workers. Those who are on contract have not been paid from June while medical and nursing interns have not been paid for five months,” he said.
The union’s branch secretary, Mr Peter Moroko, said health workers due for promotions from January had not been promoted.
STAFF SHORTAGE
He also complained of overwork due to shortage of staff.
“Coast General alone has a shortage of 600 nurses, countrywide we are talking about 80,000 nurses. Those who have died and left the service have not been replaced. The issues of medical supplies must be addressed… we have no medicine, no gloves… we cannot work without such essentials,” he added.
But Mr Lewa said the workers cannot be paid August salaries because the month had not ended.
“Salaries are paid at the end of the month, so the payments that we have effected are for July.”