Activities at the various government-owned hospitals across Kaduna State were on Monday crippled as health workers embarked on a 5-day warning strike over non implementation of the 2009 CONHESS and hazard allowance.
The industrial action was embarked upon by – the Nigerian Association of Nurses and Midwives, the Nigerian Association of Laboratory Sciences, and the Association of Hospital Administrative Pharmacists, Kaduna State Chapter.
When Arewa PUNCH visited the Sabo General Hospital, Sabon Tasha in Chikun Local Government Area, tĥe Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, and the Gwamna Awan General hospital to monitor the level of compliance to the industrial action, observed that there was strict adherence to the strike call.
Lilian Okaci, who brought her 3-year-old daughter for proper medication, told Arewa PUNCH that the nurses had been very proactive since the past one week that she into the hospital, not until this morning, Monday when he noticed that there was no single ñurse to attend to the patients.
“A nurse who came in later told us that she is giving us a last medication because they were embarking on an industrial strike action.
“I became worried because I know my daughter is very sick.
“Doctors and ward attendants will be around, but as for the nurses, they won’t be here, so that’s the situation for now,” the nurse declared.
As a result, Lilian appeals to the Kaduna State Government to respond quickly to the plight of the health workers, which is affecting the ordinary citizens seeking medications.
She disclosed that since she came into the government facility for almost a week going, there has been no electricity supply just as the environment is deplorable and not favourable for both the patients and the health workers.
Another patient, Christopher Alabi, said he brought his three-day-old daughter for treatment of diarrhoea and vomiting but she has not been attended to this morning because of the Nurses’ industrial action, which we didnt see coming.
“The situation is disappointing and frustrating because we started treatment here, and there is nobody to continue the treatment.
“Yes, the doctors are here, but there’s nobody to administer what the doctors have diagnosed.
“The condition of the Sabo General Hospital is most deplorable, but you’ve to put yourself together, stay strong, and remain here for the sake of the patient you brought.
“There was no light in the hospital, no toilets for patients and their care minders to defecate or ease themselves, I’m surprised,” Christopher lamented.
Another patient at the Barua Dikko Teaching Hospital, Chimaobi Nduejuefor described the strike action as insensitive against the patients seeking medical care by the health workers.
According to him, “The primary calling of any health worker is to save lives not for monetary gains, noting that, they’ve lost the vision which God called them into practice.
“The medical profession is a call of God, not where you come to make money but with a passion to save lives,” Nduejuefor declared.
When Arewa PUNCH visited the Kaduna State Ministry for Health, the Permanent Secretary who spoke through the Public Relations Officer said she was attending a series of meetings as such, she wont be able to talk.
The Chairman, Nigerian Association of Nurses and Midwives, Kaduna State Chapter, Comrade Ishaku Yakubu, said that they are demanding their 2009 CONHESS and 2022 hazards allowance which the government has failed to fulfil for several months going but rather they keep giving failed promises.
“In 2023, our organisation wanted to go on strike, but the government set up a committee to look at our issue and the committee did a holistic work to review what we called the Salary CONHESS salary structure for Doctors and to also review the CONHESS salary for other health workers and with a promise that they going to implement the review for the salary for all, but unfortunately, it was done for Doctors and it was not done for others,” Ishaku stated.
“The Doctors were given their balance of 2014 CONHESS, but we kept expecting the balance of our 2009 CONHESS, but there has been nothing till date.
“We started engaging the government as a result of not meeting up with our demands. Then, there is also the issue of 2022 hazards allowance,” Ishaku disclosed.
“Sometime in November 2023, the Commissioner for Health invited us to do the financial implication of the 2022 hazard allowance which we did and submitted and when she looked at the whole bill, the government promised to give us a 50 per cent first tranche payment in 2023 and the balance 50 per cent in 2024, but till today that promised has not been kept.”
He described Governor Uba Sani as a Labour friendly governor and as such they expected that by now he would have attended to some of their demands since they do not want to be harsh that he has not done anything for them,” Ishaku stressed.
He maintained that they would only call off the strike if their demands were met
