Nigerian Health Workers Commence Strike At 00.00hrs On Thursday April 19
The Oasis Reporters
April 18, 2018
Patients in Nigerian health institutions nationwide are in for difficult days ahead as health workers all over the country under the umbrella of Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations, AHP, have directed their members to proceed on an indefinite strike at midnight.
That is unless the government intervenes and sorts out areas of disagreement before midnight. Then the strike could be put off.
The proposed resumption of industrial action is as a result of the perceived delays or unwillingness on the part of the federal government in approving the adjustment of Consolidated Health Salary Scale, CONHESS, similar to what was done for medical doctors’ Consolidated Medical Salary Scale, CONMESS, since January 2014 and the non implementation of CONMESS that was approved for medical doctors in September, 2017.
This is coming at a time that the Nigerian president took time out to visit London, UK where he often spends considerable amount of time on medical vacation at the expense of the government which is part of the package for top politicians while the rest of the citizenry visit derelict hospitals without basic drugs and health workers that take turns to cripple the sector with one strike or the other, for one reason or another.
Meanwhile, patients suffer in silence, political appointees and elected officials bleed the nation dry, drawing humongous salaries and allowances.
The gainers are herbalists, faith healers and private medical practitioners.
