Secondary and primary healthcare institutions have not joined the Joint Health Sector Unions’ (JOHESU) statewide indefinite strike, which began on May 25.
Mr Egwu Emmanuel, Chief Medical Laboratory Scientist at Nyanya General Hospital, said this in Abuja on Wednesday.
He stated that the strike was limited to tertiary hospitals for the time being.
Emmanuel, on the other hand, stated that if the Federal Government fails to tackle the concerns that prompted the walkout, secondary and primary hospitals would join the strike.
“We are doing our jobs as expected, but if the government does not address the issues that prompted the strike within a few weeks, we will join our colleagues in the tertiary hospitals,” he added.
As a result, he urged the government to investigate the unions’ concerns in order to prevent Nigeria from suffering.
Mrs Rita Okoro, a patient at the hospital for medical testing, urged the federal government to solve the issues in the health sector in order to avoid repeated strikes by health workers.
She did, however, express hope that the next administration will prioritize health care.
Similarly, Mrs Amaka Emma, who was at the hospital for her antenatal care, asked both the union and the government to resolve their issues in order to save Nigerians from suffering.
The NAN correspondent watched patients being treated at the Maitama General Hospital and Federal Medical Center in Mararaba Nasarawa State.
The JOHESU and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) have begun an indefinite strike in response to the alleged federal government’s failure to adjust the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for health workers, as was done for physicians’ Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).
As a result, the unions instructed members at government health facilities around the country to withdraw their services indefinitely beginning Tuesday.
The union sought quick payment of omissions and deficiencies in Covid-19 hazard compensation for impacted federal health personnel.
They also requested recognition of health professional at non-core hospital institutions for hazard allowance reimbursement.
They asked that the retirement age rose from 60 to 65 years and to 70 years for consultants in the health professions.
