Days after the Kenya National Union of Nurses threatened to incite its members in Kakamega and the rest of the nation into a strike following a shortage of staff in public hospitals, Kakamega County has employed a total of one hundred nurses to cut on the shortage.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses secretary general Seth Panyako in a statement to the press, had called upon the county government of Kakamega to triple the current staffing at the Kakamega County General Hospital, for them to offer high standards of quality health care as envisioned in article 43 of the constitution of Kenya, threatening to call for a strike early next month if the same will not be implemented.
Panyako related two previous maternal deaths at the facility to inadequate staff explaining that they could have been avoided.
According to the director of human resource at the county government of Kakamega Larence Omwaka, the county intends to send the 100 to various health facilities in the county, the county general hospital being among them.
Omwaka has revealed that the county plans to employ 100 more nurses and clinical officers in the supplementary budget assuring that it may be before July if the budget will be passed.
He further acknowledged the deficit of doctors in the county saying that they need at least 100 to take care of the current state.
The beneficiaries of the same could not hide their happiness.
Josephine Mulupe who graduated with a diploma in nursing 11 years ago from Kakamega Medical Training College told the West Fm that she was overwhelmed by the offer.
She said that she was almost giving up on job hunting but God had just remembered her at the right time extending her gratitude to the county government.
For Brian Jumba who hails from Likuyani Sub County, he has been tarmacking since 2014 and was glad by the offer.
H e studied at Eldoret Medical Training college.