3-Day Warning Strike: Kwara hospitals deserted
By Matthew Denis
As the three days warning strike embarked upon by Kwara State health workers enters the second day, yesterday, this medium observed that most of the state-owned hospitals rendered skeletal services.
Recall that the Kwara State chapters of the Joint Council of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) in collaboration with National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Monday midnight, commenced a three-day warning strike to express their grievances for the inability of the state government to pay 10 per cent increase on the existing 50 per cent Consolidated Health Structure (CONHESS) to their members at local government level.
During a visit on Wednesday to various public hospitals within Ilorin metropolis, our reporter discovered that some of the wards and departments were under lock and key.
At the General Hospital, Ilorin, only the medical doctors, security agencies and other administrative staff were seen going about their normal duties.
Some pregnant women who came for ante-natal and counselling as well as new patients were turned back by the management due to shortage of manpower as a result of the warning strike.
Only few patients were seen waiting for doctors to attend to them.
At the Pharmacy Department, only one pharmacist was noticed attending to the patients at the time of the visit.
Also, at the Maternity unit, few nursing mothers and their babies were noticed waiting for doctors to attend to them.
One of the patients who simply identified herself as Grace, expressed worry over her health status.
She said, “Since last night that I was brought here, there has been no one to attend to me but four of my family members passed the night here with me.”
Speaking with our reporter, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Abdulfatai Bamidele Olokoba said, “the warning strike is an unfortunate development but we are on ground to manage the situation.
“We are coping with the situation as our doctors are on ground to treat patients on admission but we turned back new patients today because of manpower shortage.
The CMD advised the health workers to use alternative dispute resolution approach in addressing their grievances rather than embarking on strike, leaving the patients at the receiving end.
Olokoba however said that there is no death recorded so far as a result of the warning strike.
At Ilorin Civil Service Hospital, both the male and female wards were under lock. Also the Accident and Emergency/Injection room was deserted at the time of the visit.
About four patients and their family members were seen hanging around with no medical personnel attending to them and the Pharmacy Section was also under lock.
Meanwhile, the Director-General, Kwara State Hospitals Management Bureau, Oladimeji Sa’ad Aluko expressed concern over the warning strike but maintained that senior nurses have been summoned to attend to emergency cases.
Reacting, in his office, yesterday, the Chairman of the Kwara State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Alhaji Kareem Agunbiade, called on the state government to intervene by approving the 10 per cent demand by health workers in the local government.
According to him, the state health workers and their local government counterparts were together in the struggle hence, the latter should be considered for similar salary structure with the former.
Speaking with our reporter last night, the Kwara State Chairman of NANNM, Comrade Joseph Adekanye, disclosed that the Head of Service, Mrs. Susan Modupe Oluwole has invited his members for a meeting today (Thursday).
According to him, the meeting will determine the next line of action by NANNM.