Patients and their relatives in Kaduna State have expressed frustration over the ongoing indefinite strike by health workers which has severely impacted healthcare services in government-owned hospitals.
The strike is in response to the state government’s failure to address demands related to remuneration and other long-standing issues.
The strike, which began a few days ago, has resulted in many patients being turned away from public hospitals or referred to private facilities, where they face higher costs and limited access to care.
Fatima Ibrahim, who sought treatment for her daughter at Dantsoho Hospital in Tudun Wada, recounted her experience, saying “I was told nobody could attend to me because they are on strike, so I took my daughter to a nearby private hospital for treatment.”
Haliru Adamu said his younger brother, who was seriously ill, was turned away from a government hospital due to the strike.
“We later took him to a private hospital where he died days later,” Adamu said.
The strike was initiated by three key health bodies in Kaduna State: The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN), and the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN).
In a joint statement signed by their chairmen-Comrade Ishaka Yakubu (NANNM), Mansur S. Halidu (AHAPN), and Comrade Jesse David (AMLSN)-they explained that they had no choice but strike due to the state government’s failure to meet their demands.
The health workers’ demands include implementation of the 30% balance of the 2009 CONHESS (Consolidated Health Salary Structure) for health workers in the State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Health Care Board; implementation of the 2021 hazard allowance for health workers in the same departments.
Despite suspending a warning strike two months ago, the unions claimed that the government failed to deliver any meaningful progress on the contentious issues.
Ondo health workers issue 2-week ultimatum
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in Ondo State has issued a 15-day ultimatum to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, demanding that their concerns be addressed or face industrial action.
The health workers said their decision followed the government’s failure to respond to a series of correspondences highlighting issues affecting them.
The notice, signed by the association’s state chairman, Orobode Felix, and secretary, Ayenioye Olabisi, was shared with Daily Trust on Tuesday in Akure.
The nurses’ demands include implementing an upward review of the consolidated health salary structure, payment of hazard allowances, addressing staff shortages in state hospitals, and commencing uniform allowance payments.
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