Posted by By Oluwole Akinboyewa, Abuja on
A coalition of five medical unions, constituting Nigeria's health sector nucleus is up in arms, vowing to ground to a halt medical services in all governments' hospitals, through an indefinite strike action, if its eleven-point long-negotiated demands was not met on or before July 31.
A coalition of five medical unions, constituting Nigeria's health sector nucleus is up in arms, vowing to ground to a halt medical services in all governments' hospitals, through an indefinite strike action, if its eleven-point long-negotiated demands was not met on or before July 31.
Rising from its emergency meeting in Abuja on Sunday, the coalition warned that the services of all paramedical staff in the federal, state and local governments hospitals nationwide shall be withdrawn indefinitely, effective July 31 until governments acceded to the demands as a measure of enhancing the needed accelerated success of the health care sector.
Chairman of the warring Joint Health Sector Unions (JHSU), Comrade Chinedum Nwobodo, who addressed the membership on behalf of nine other chairmen and secretaries of the group, declared that all was set to mobilize government nurses and midwives, pharmacists and other personnel involved in life-saving in the affected hospitals towards the planned showdown.
Copies of the jointly-signed communiqué dated July 4, have been sent to the Labour and Acting Minister of Health, Dr. Muhammed Lawal; Head of Service of the Federation, Chairman, Salaries, Income and Wages Commission; Director, State Security Services; National Presidents, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM); Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (NHWUN); Non Academic Staff Union of Nigeria (NASU); Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Allied Institutes (SSAUTHRIAI); and National Union of Pharmacists, Technologists and Allied Professions (NUMPTPAM).
Nwobodo declared that the coalition for the first time shall wage a common and effective battle, forcing government to appreciate the patriotic zeal of medical workers to nation-building, by paying 33 month arrears of pension and gratuity to hundreds of its retired members, consider the nation's health sector services as crucial to President Umar Musa Yar'Adua's seven-point agenda and effect payment of two years arrears of monetization to the membership since 2003.
He condemned the sacking of some health workers in some teaching hospitals and their non-reinstatement at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and the Federal Medical Centre, Ado-Ekiti despite court orders invalidating the action.
Other demands of the unions include the upward review of shift allowance to nurses and other related shift duty workers, the immediate review of decree 10 of 1985, reorganising the health ministry to consider trained health care professionals only for the positions of Health Minister and directors.
Others are the full implementation of the primary health care programme at the grassroot to afford the rural dwellers right to treatment, the establishment of a Pension Guarantee Security Commission, saveguarding deposits, the standardization of the management structure of tertiary health institutions in the country and the immediate response of government to health workers grievances in the spirit of cooperation.
Finally, the group condemned the governments' negative stance to the plight of the unions even when the latter had made efforts including the constitution of tactical committees to meet government and resolve pressing matters.