Health Workers Strike- Union Threatens To Involve Private Sector Practitioners

The Joint Sector Union, JOHESU has issued the Federal Government one week ultimatum to resolve all issues in their current nationwide strike or the union will be forced to drag health practitioners in the private sector into the ongoing strike action.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the President, Pharmaceutical Society Of Nigeria, PSN, Olumide Akintayo, on behalf of the Association Of Medical Laboratory Scientists Of Nigeria, AMLSN and Nigeria Society For Physiotherapists, NSP.

The group said it has resolved to invite their respective members in the private sector to join the on-going strike.

It said JOHESU, in the next few days, would carry out the threat if the Federal Government fails to

accede to the health workers’ demands by the first week of February.

The group also threatened to boycott the February polls with all their family members unless government
resolves all its outstanding demands within the first week of February.

Akintayo said: “Presidents of the striking JOHESU rose from a consultative meeting at the weekend and after a holistic evaluation of the strike are of the view that the health workers’ strike does not worry government.

“Rather than resolve and issue enabling circulars in line with the 12-point demand, the government at both the federal and state levels, have been busy campaigning while substantial fatalities continue to be inflicted on consumers of health in Nigeria”.

Akintayo said health services have collapsed in all the federal health institutions and major secondary healthcare facilities in all the states of the federation.

“One would have expected an intervention of the Federal Government. This clearly confirms that healthcare has not and can never be the prerogative of doctors, who in the past never failed to remind Nigerians that they were jack of all trade who could render services of other professionals”, Akintayo said.

The statement said the inclusion of the private sector strike will be phased, stating that “ as we shall in the first instance invite practitioners in the FCT to withdraw services for a few hours for successive days before we shall extend same to all the 36 states in view of apparent government insensitivity which is both deplorable and lamentable”.

Source: Daily post