Health workers and volunteers at the Kenya Medical Training College Covid-19 isolation centre in Webuye have threatened to down their tools should the Bungoma County government fail to pay their outstanding dues in the next 48 hours.
Led by their spokesperson Nelson Silingani, the medics accused the devolved unit of neglecting them, said they are exposed to the virus.
“The County Government of Bungoma has totally ignored our plight despite being one of the counties that received the biggest monetary allocation to fight against Covid-19,” said Mr Silingani.
ALLOWANCES
“It is now almost two months but we are yet to receive our allowances, we are not sure if we shall ever be paid. Failure to pay us all the outstanding dues in the next 48 hours will see us down our tools,” Mr Silingani added.
“We did not sign any contract with the county government. President Uhuru Kenyatta also promised that all frontline health workers will get an insurance health cover but that is yet to happen,” he added.
They alleged that their families were wallowing in poverty.
He said: “We appreciate that the county government has rented for us houses in Satellite area and is also providing us with food but what about our families back home?
Mr Silingani alleged that senior county health officials have been avoiding the isolation centre due to Covid-19 phobia.
“We work tirelessly in the isolation centre, our seniors do not step inside the facility due to coronavirus phobia,” he said.
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases have risen to 12 at the isolation centre.
“We have over 12 patients in the centre and what is heartbreaking is that the county government sometimes supplies insufficient food to patients,” added Mr Silingani.
SALARY DELAYS
Webuye Medical Superintendent Simon Kisaka, however, denied the allegations saying that everyone who works at the Webuye Covid-19 isolation centre is paid a Sh1,000 daily allowance by the county government.
He said that nurses and doctors who were seconded there still earn their salaries.
Mr Kisaka said that the issue in delay of salaries was being addressed at the delay is salaries was caused by an avoidable circumstance that was being addressed.
“We have different cadres of people working at our isolation centre including cooks, security personnel, drivers, doctors, cleaners and nurses who are all recognised by the county government,” he said.
He, however, admitted that the medics’ last month’s salaries delayed by two weeks.
He told Nation that that the workers will receive their pay any time.