The county government of Machakos has asked striking health workers to obey court orders and return to work to avert further suffering by patients.

Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi said the county had met most of the demands raised and therefore the health workers had no business continuing to participate in the strike.

His call comes after the Employment and Labour Relations Court sitting in Machakos on Friday directed the doctors, clinical officers, laboratory technicians, and public health officers to suspend the ongoing strike and return to work pending an inter partes hearing set for Wednesday, October 16, 2024.

He urged the striking workers to resume duty and not defy the court.

“We have done our best and the only option we had was to go to court to obtain orders compelling the health workers to go back to work,” the deputy governor said.

Absconding duty Mwangangi was speaking on Saturday during a burial ceremony for the late Lucia Munyambu at Mukunike village in Kangundo Sub-county.

On Friday, the labour court issued the orders after Governor Wavinya Ndeti’s administration warned striking health workers that nobody would be paid for absconding duties.

The County Secretary and Head of Public Service, Muya Ndambuki said many of the grievances raised by the striking workers had already been addressed.

“The county government is concerned that anybody involved in a go slow or strike won’t get paid. We have been in discussion with them but there are demands in the health department apart from one which we are discussing, promotions,” he said.

A spot check by the People Daily across several private hospitals within the county showed an increase in the number of patients due to the strike even as they struggle to meet treatment charges in these private hospitals and have appealed to the government to end the strike.

“I can hardly afford the high charges at a private hospital,” Ruth Mutuku, 42, said during an interview.

Her son Peter Muli,18, had been admitted to Kangundo Level 4 hospital but with the strike, she was forced to remove him from the hospital and take him home.

FAMILY MATTERS Among the religions, Muslims had the least number of single mothers at 14 per cent The proportion of single mothers in Kenya increased from 13.9 per cent in 1989 to 25.1 per cent in 2022 Women who enter marriage at an early age of between 15-19 years or at an advanced age of between 30 to 49 years are highly likely to end up being single mothers Monday, October 14, 2024