Medics across the country have threatened to go on strike in seven days’ time if pending salaries will not be paid within that period.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, April 11, the medics, through their unions, say more than 40 counties are yet to either pay healthcare workers or remit statutory deduction

This, the unions say, makes members miss out on the very services they are offering to their patient

“We find it preposterous that government employees, especially those that provide essential services in the health sector, are continuously inundated with notifications of delayed salary payments and statutory deductions,” said the union

“It is damning to say the least that our members cannot afford the same services they offer. Subsequently, these affects healthcare workers’ standards of living, motivation and thereby injuring their productivity

Unions included in the statement are the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers, the Kenya National Union of Nurses.“Within seven days, counties that shall not have paid salaries and statutory deductions should not expect healthcare workers to report on duty,” said the medics in a statemen

The unions want payments for all medics to be done by the national governmen

“The government should establish a mechanism to pay healthcare workers directly from a central point. A budget should be set aside for annual recruitment of 20,000 additional healthcare workers as promised,” said the unions in their statement.t.t..”s.s.s.of Nurses.