Health Workers Commend Wike, Suspend Strike

The Medical and Health Workers as well as Nurses and Midwives Association under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has expressed appreciations to the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike for his willingness to interface with labour unions in order to resolve the issues of strike embarked upon by health and medical workers.
The state Chairman of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), Dr. Chris Mbata, who stated this while announcing the suspension of the one-month old strike, last week, also expressed the union’s unalloyed loyalty to the Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike-led government.
Mbata explained that the union was excited about the recent advertisement to employ more health workers to boost healthcare delivery in the state.
He noted that the lifting of embargo on employment in the state’s health sector by the state government was a welcome development, and apologised to patients for the hardship they may have gone through while the strike lasted.
The JOHESU chairman prayed God to intervene to ensure that the situation gets better as soon as services are restored at all the public hospitals and primary health facilities in the state.
However, the medical and health workers as well as nurses and midwives in Rivers State, will today, resume normal services in all government hospitals and primary health centres across the state after one month of industrial action by the unions.
This followed by the suspension of the strike, last Thursday, by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) and Joint Negotiating Council (NLC).
When The Tide visited some of the health centres, last Friday, it was discovered that few medical workers had resumed work.
The health centres visited include those at Pott Johnson Street, Elekahia, Orogbum, Ngbudukwu at Okija/Emenike, and Okuru-Ama all in the Port Harcourt Local Government Area.
Others are Okochiri and Ibaka health centres in Okrika Local Government Area.
Those who were seen on duty when The Tide visited said majority of the nurses and other health workers could not resume work because the strike was suspended late on Thursday, saying that some had travelled to their villages.
They assured that normal work and services in all the facilities at primary health centres will resume, today.
A communiqué signed by the union, last Thursday, and read by the state Chairman of JOHESU, Rivers State chapter, Dr Chris Mbata, directed all workers to resume work immediately, even as the communiqué directed all monitoring teams to ensure compliance as at last Friday.
The communiqué signed by the Treasurer, Comrade Gibson Liver Osendi; Secretary, Comrade Reginald Kuru; and Chairman, Dr Chris Mbata; commended the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) for their timely intervention toward resolving the issues in dispute.