Residents of Embu have threatened to take the Embu county government to court over failed health sector.
The residents say that they are tired of the persistent strike of health workers that is subjecting them to lack of medical services.
Led by one Bosco Kiura, the residents stated that the county government has not shown goodwill to end the strike.
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"We are tired of these unending strike, there is nothing the county government is doing to stop the strike. We are going to take the government to court so that it can accord this matter the seriousness it deserves," Kiura said.
He alleged that locals are losing their lives due to the lack of medical services. He also added that a majority of the residents cannot afford treatment in private health facilities.
Kiura who is also a senatorial aspirant in the county, stated that it baffles how the health sector, which receives a lion share in the budget, has failed to meet the grievances of health workers.
The striking health workers claimed that even after statutory deductions are made on their salaries, the net payments are not remitted to relevant bodies thus pushing majority of them to suffering.
Some health workers say that they have been blacklisted by the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) and they cannot access loans since they are treated as loan defaulters.
Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) chairman Joseph Ngwasi, who spoke to press on Wednesday October 27, has affirmed that the health workers will only go back to their respective facilities when the county government accepts to meet their demands.
Ngwasi, who is also the secretary general KNUN Embu branch, blamed the county government for remaining mum on the health workers plight.
"This time we will not sign any agreement until they do part of fulfilment of what we agreed ,that is what we stand for," Ngwasi said.
The health workers are now in their third week of strike paralysing service delivery in all public hospitals in the county.
