The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) Kwara State chapter, has explained the reasons they suspended their strike, which commenced on April 26.
The state chairman of the association, Joseph Adekanye, stated on Monday, during a Press Conference at the Nurses House Secretariat in Ilorin that the association decided to suspend the strike “to honour a Nurse, Rifun Kolo, who was recently appointed Commissioner for Health, by Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.
According to Adekanye, the association called off the strike to allow one of their own (Rifun), resolve some of the challenges in the health sector.
He said: “The commissioner came on board while we were on strike, but we have decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, between now and six months.
“If the government is serious, a space of six month’s is enough to address the issues that have been brought to the attention of the government.
Adekanye listed some of the challenges the Kwara nurses were facing to include, request for 100 percent implementation of Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
He said it was long overdue and that the nurses agreed to 10 per cent increase over the current 50 per cent CONHESS.
The chairman appealed to the state government to work hard to ensure the implementation of the CONHESS, to reduce the mass exodus of nurses and midwives from public service for greener pastures.
