Health workers paralyse medical services in Delta hospitals
HEALTHCARE services in Delta State have worsened, following a strike by nurses and midwives in the state on Wednesday which compounded the situation created by the ongoing nationwide strike by members of the Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU.
Investigations revealed that over 85 percent of patients have been discharged from public hospitals in the state.
An official of the state branch of National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, told Vanguard on condition of anonymity that only pre-matured births and very critical patients who could not discharge themselves were left in the hospitals.
Members of the state chapter of NANNM had, Wednesday, commenced an indefinite strike to protest the unresolved issues with the Hospital Management Board, HMB, Asaba.
The contentious issues, according to a statement by the state NANNM Secretary, Mr. Frank Okoh, ranged from non-compliance in the creation of 10 additional positions for Special Grade (SG) One Nurses; refusal to recruit nurses to address shortages in the hospitals; non-implementation of salary and payment of promotion arrears to nurses promoted to SG(II) since 2011 in HMB; victimisation of Nurse D.O Okemezi and non-payment of promotion salaries/arrears to Eku Baptist Hospital nurses absorbed by the state government.
He said the association decided to down tools after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum given to HMB, vowing that the exercise was total shutdown of all government-owned hospitals in the state.
He said: “The Permanent Secretary of HMB, Mrs. Caroline Ajuya, disregarded approval made by former Head of Service, Mr. Ofili, for 10 additional nurses to the grade of SG(1) saying that the Board rather than keeping this arrangement as agreed upon in that meeting, included other names that were not in the original list. Recent advisement/appointment of Consultants, Medical officers, Laboratory scientists, House officers, Pharmacists but Nurses were deliberately excluded when the hub of health delivery system whose duties and responsibilities vis-a-vis the 63 Government owned Hospitals in the state cannot be quantified.”
Investigations revealed that over 85 percent of patients have been discharged from public hospitals in the state.
An official of the state branch of National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, told Vanguard on condition of anonymity that only pre-matured births and very critical patients who could not discharge themselves were left in the hospitals.
Members of the state chapter of NANNM had, Wednesday, commenced an indefinite strike to protest the unresolved issues with the Hospital Management Board, HMB, Asaba.
The contentious issues, according to a statement by the state NANNM Secretary, Mr. Frank Okoh, ranged from non-compliance in the creation of 10 additional positions for Special Grade (SG) One Nurses; refusal to recruit nurses to address shortages in the hospitals; non-implementation of salary and payment of promotion arrears to nurses promoted to SG(II) since 2011 in HMB; victimisation of Nurse D.O Okemezi and non-payment of promotion salaries/arrears to Eku Baptist Hospital nurses absorbed by the state government.
He said the association decided to down tools after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum given to HMB, vowing that the exercise was total shutdown of all government-owned hospitals in the state.
He said: “The Permanent Secretary of HMB, Mrs. Caroline Ajuya, disregarded approval made by former Head of Service, Mr. Ofili, for 10 additional nurses to the grade of SG(1) saying that the Board rather than keeping this arrangement as agreed upon in that meeting, included other names that were not in the original list. Recent advisement/appointment of Consultants, Medical officers, Laboratory scientists, House officers, Pharmacists but Nurses were deliberately excluded when the hub of health delivery system whose duties and responsibilities vis-a-vis the 63 Government owned Hospitals in the state cannot be quantified.”
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