Health Workers Strike: UPTH Maintains Clinical Services

The University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Alakahia, says its Clinic Services are still in operation in spite of the on-going nationwide strike action embarked upon by the Joint Health Sector Workers (JOHESU) in all federal government owned health institutions.

Speaking exclusively to The Tide, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UPTH, Professor Aaron Ojule, stated that those in the medical services at UPTH, such as doctors, nurses and midwives were still running clinic, saying that they were doing their utmost best to sustain the services.

According to Prof. Ojule “virtually all the units are running, we are still working, trying to hold the services rendered, the much we can”.

He expressed fears however, that if the strike persisted, the hospital might not be able to sustain services.

“If you go to the wards, our patients are still there, the clinics are still running but that cannot endure forever”. He prayed that both the unions and the federal government would come to a quick resolution, so that work can go back to normal”.

In her own remarks, Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNAM),Meg Orianwo, said it was a directive from the national body of the Joint Health Sector Workers Union (JOHESU), that all their members embark on an indefinite strike action across the nation.

Giving reasons for the strike action, Orianwo, also Chairman, Joint Negotiation Committee (JNC), stated among other things, “the reason is the inability of the government to fulfill their obligations in the implementation of what the unions were requesting, that is non-skipping of the CONTISS 10, which didn’t start now and every other sector enjoying”.

Health workers supposed to skip grade level 10 and move on to 11 from nine, stating however that the Federal ministry of Health gave a counter directive to this.

She restated, however that nurses and midwives at UPTH were still working and urged to people to continue to attend clinic.

Tonye Nria-Dappa