*Nurses threaten to embark on 7-day strike over FG’s failure to address its demands
*Says it plans to down tools in all primary, secondary, tertiary health institutions nationwide
*That warning strike is scheduled to begin midnight Tuesday July 29
*Warns that should FG fail to respond to their demands, it will decided next line of action
By Our correspondent with agency report
Amidst complaints of shortage of medical personnel in various hospitals nationwide, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has threatened to embark on a seven-day warning strike over what it described as the federal government’s “failure to address” its pending demands.
It would be recalled that the association had earlier issued a 15-day ultimatum to the federal government, starting July 14, after which it stated that it would embark on industrial action if its demands were still not met.
The Federal Capital Territory, FCT Chairman of the Association, Jama Medan was quoted to have said that NANNM is currently mobilising to down tools in all primary, secondary and tertiary health institutions nationwide.
“We will embark on a seven-day warning strike starting at midnight on July 29. After the strike, if the federal government still does not respond to us, we will then decide the next line of action,” he said.
Speaking further, he said some of the organisation’s demands include gazzetting of the nurse’s scheme of service approved by the NCE in 2016 in Minna, Niger state, implementation of the national industrial arbitration court (NIC) judgment of January 27, 2012, upward review of professional allowance for nurses and midwives, and employment of nursing personnel and adequate provision of health facility equipment.
Other demands according to him include creation of a department of nursing in the federal ministry of health, inclusion of nurses in the headship of health policy-making body, a fair representation by the association on the board and membership in federal health institutions, centralisation of internship posting for graduate nurses, and consultancy for nurses and midwives.
The association is also demanding the withdrawal of the content of the recently released circular on revised allowances for health workers (Nurses), describing it as “grossly inadequate and discriminatory”.
NANNM has also announced the strike in a message on its social media platforms, advising patients to “make alternative plans in advance”.
“All government owned health facilities across the nation will be affected. The federal government has reduced efforts to improve the healthcare sector by addressing our demand,” the association added.
