No going back on strike, say Oyo nurses, midwives
On Wednesday, midwives and nurses in Oyo State emphasised that they would not end their current walkout unless the state administration complied with their demands.
Dr. Samuel Adeyemi, the chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, stated that the industrial action could not be reversed in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in the state capital of Ibadan.
According to NAN, on May 21, 2024, nurses and midwives employed by state-owned hospitals and health institutions went on an indefinite strike.
The patients who frequent the hospitals every day are suffering as a result of the industrial action as there are no nurses or midwives available to care for them.
The NANNM has made a number of requests, including the urgent mass hiring of nurses and midwives and orrection of the wrong notional date on the promotion letters of members who were due in 2017/2018.
The other is the acceptance and execution of professional advancement or lateral conversion for nurses, as it is in other Federation states.
Additionally, the group is requesting the reimbursement of 2011 salary arrears that were allegedly withheld and paid to other employees.
Nonetheless, Adeyemi insisted that the strike would go on indefinitely unless Governor Seyi Makinde took the proper measures.
"That's the decision made by our congress, as none of our demands have been addressed, with the possible exception of the nursing recruitment advertisement serving as a delay tactic."This represents one or two of the eight items; not even the advertisement has resulted in a job being offered.
"You have an idea of the kind of society we live in. disregard for human life. Strike in the health industry means a lot and will never be allowed in civilised countries,” Adeyemi said.
However, this is a case of the opposite. Finally, we will continue our indefinite strike," he said.
Dr. Akin Fagbemi, the chairman of the State Hospitals Management Board, had stated that recruiting concerns were the main component of the striking nurses' demands.
Fagbemi recollected that the state government had begun hiring health professionals in 2020 and that the board had been instructed to fill in any vacancies.
He claimed that a job posting had been placed in a public setting seeking qualified personnel, including physicians, nurses, midwives, chemists and physiotherapists.
In the best interests of the state's citizens, the head of the SHMB urged the striking nurses and midwives to end their walkout.
Before the year ends, the Board will examine the gaps in the hospitals and take appropriate action, according to Fagbemi. "The recruitment of healthcare workers in the state is a continuous process."
