JOHESU, AHPA shutdown NOH Igbobi, others over FG failure to meet demands

Edokpolor Osayande

The Joint Health Sector Unions ­(JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Association (AHPA) have embarked on indefinite strike after a failed seven days ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to meet her demands on the implementation of the 2012 agreement reached with the union.

The union made this known in an interview with The Daily Times in Lagos during the week.

The Chairman of Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Comrade Akinlade Temitope who spoke with our correspondent said that the union are resolved and ready to push her case to logical conclusion, as there would be no going back until the government meets all her demands.

According to him, the unions demand includes; adjustment of CONHESS salary as done for CONMESS in January 2014, abolition of scale to scale promotion , payment of outstanding promotion arrears, review of the retirement age from 60 t0 65 years as done for the Tertiary education sector and autonomy for teaching and specialist Hospitals in the country among others.

“we got to our highest level of negotiation with the former president Goodluck Jonathan, who assured us that considering the nearness of the general elections to call off our industrial action, that soon as the election is over, he would attend to our demands, with that level of trust we agreed to his request and called off the strike action but unfortunately till date none of those demands has been meant.”

Temitope, however, noted that the union has been patient enough adding that if her demands are not meant, then they will hold onto the planned action tagged “operation Alligator bite” saying there is no going back, no matter how long is going take for our demands to be meant we will remain on strike.

He further disclosed that this the unfortunate development in the health sector has brought crisis and until these crisis are resolved; Nigerians will continue to witness President Buhari travelling abroad for medical checkup adding that, this is the more reason why government should pay attention to our demands to improve infrastructure on primary and tertiary health institutions, so that Nigerians can afford quality health care service delivery.

“we have the manpower but the facilities are not available, we urge the government on the political will to develop the structure of the health sector to have competition with international standard so that Nigerians don’t need to waste fund travelling abroad for health care services adding that the issue of medical tourism has brought loss on the revenue that the government could have generated,” he said..

Also speaking, the Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals Research Institute and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), Comrade Tade Oyedele said that the partial implementation of the court judgment on the adjustment in salaries that has lingered since 2014 was without financial benefits.

‘’Well our members were promoted from CONHESS 12 to 12, instead of moving from 12 to 13 but they remain on the same scale.”

Oyedele, however, urged the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Government to do the needful and alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians in getting access to better healthcare service.