As the nationwide strike by organised labour commenced on Monday, hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were carrying out skeletal services as nurses and other health workers joined the indefinite strike.
When our correspondent visited the National Hospital in Abuja, it was learnt that only the medical doctors were fully on ground as they were not affiliated to the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC)
The ever-busy hospital was almost looking deserted hours after the strike commenced, with few staff and patients seen around the hospital wards, including the emergency ward.
However, the hospital’s spokesperson, Dr Tayo Haastrup, said the hospital was still rendering services, especially to emergency patients.
He said there are different unions and associations in the hospital while confirming that nurses have joined the strike.
He said even though nurses have joined the strike action, senior nurses were still around, saying “you know when you become an assistant director as a nurse, you can not just join the strike, those ones are helping out to do one or two things.
“The strike has started but at the National Hospital, we are still rendering services. The nurses have joined the strike but the management is being proactive to resolve that we would give emergency services. We will do our best to see that emergency services are rendered.
“I’m sure by tomorrow (Tuesday) we might be running skeletal services. Also, we have nurses who are on internship, who are helping out.”
The chairman, National Hospital Abuja chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Joseph Awujah Akpi, while confirming that nurses in the hospital have joined the strike, said though it was painful and regrettable, there was just nothing else that they could do.
He said: “Having received the order from our national body to comply, we just have to comply with the instructions. Though we know it is going to cause a lot of inconveniences to so many people, we cannot act otherwise.”
He said they only hoped that government can be sensitive enough to respond quickly so that they can return to work.
The Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria had on June 2 issued a notice of the strike and and requested for total compliance from its members.
The letter, signed by the secretary general of the union, Comrade Aumalu Yuu Kyawa, had instructed all members of the union for total compliance for a total shutdown of all health facilities in the country.
“I wish to request you to immediately commence intense mobilisation of our members for a total shutdown of all the health facilities in the country, commencing from 00.01 hours, 3 June 2024, in compliance with the directive of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
“Consequently, the state councils leadership are equally requested to collaborate with the organized labour in their state to ensure a water-tight compliance and monitoring of the strike actions, as any form of sabotage shall not be acceptable,” said Kyawa.
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