Health Workers May Go On Strike

Health workers in the nation may soon proceed on an indefinite strike following perceived refusal of the Federal  Government to pay the agreed Medical Workers Enhanced Salary Structure (ESS).

Chairman of the Association of Resident Doctors, Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital(BMSH), Rivers State Chapter, Dr. Donald Abbi made this disclosure in a chat in his office in Port Harcourt with newsmen.

Abbi who expressed displeasure over the non payment of the ESS said that health workers in the Country have through their umbrella body, Medical and Dental Council Union sent out a 14 working days ultimatum to the government to comply with the agreement or face a nationwide strike.

He said that the ultimatum, which began on  September 27th 2010, will end this Friday  after which the union will meet to take a decision if there was no compliance.

On the scope of the strike, Dr. Abbi said it would involve every staff of the Health Sector, as against the most recent one that involved only Resident Doctors.

According to him,  “what we are talking about here is salary issue, when we talk about salaries, every  health worker in the country is  involved, from the Consultant to the cleaner in the hospital ward because when health workers’ salaries are enhanced, everybody benefits”.    Abbi, who lamented the backward state of the country’s Health Sector advocated for a law to prohibit every citizen of the country from accessing healthcare abroad, stressing that this would force the leaders to fix the sector and make it maximally functional for the good of the citizens.

Tonye Nria-Dappa