Amid ongoing efforts to contain the outbreak of cholera in the country, the Oyo State government is contending with how to get health workers in the state, who are currently on strike, back to their duty posts, writes ROTIMI AGBOLUAJE from Ibadan.
One of the sectors that are basic to attaining development is health. Various development experts and theorists submit that for any country to achieve sustainable development, it must prioritise the health of its people. This is accentuated by the fact that health is one of the strands on which human capital development rests on. The assertion is stressed by the saying that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation as only a healthy population can engage in productive activities and create wealth.
However, in Nigeria, the sector is beset with a myriad of challenges, ranging from low budgetary allocation, poor welfare packages as well as incentives for health workers and a host of others. As a corollary, workers in the sector use various forms of instruments to ventilate their grievances, disappointment and despondence. One of such instruments is strike and industrial action.
Both at the national and sub-national levels, strikes have been the most used weapon by Nigerian workers, including those in healthcare. In Oyo State, within this year, three labour unions in the health sector had at one time or another embarked on strikes to press home some demands.
For instance, on March 4, the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Oyo State chapter, embarked on a seven-day warning strike over unmet expectations and demands. The Unit Chairman of the union, Mr. Olanrewaju Ajani, had told journalists in Ibadan that the warning strike was sequel to the ultimatum given to the state government at the meeting of the union held on February 23.
Ajani had said that the ultimatum, which took effect from February 26, ended on March 4. He said that most of the demands by the union had been dragging on for long, without members receiving the expected attention from the state government.
According to him, the demands that needed urgent and prompt attention from the government included the implementation of the new national hazard allowance for health professionals, adding that the circular towards this effect was released in 2021. The union’s demands also included the implementation of a teaching allowance for NUAHP members, the release of promotion letters for qualified members who participated in promotion exercises and the recruitment of more health workers and professionals.
Though the strike was suspended on March 11 after the state government took some steps to address their demands, the sector is yet to witness industrial harmony. For instance, on May 21, the State Council of the National Association Of Nigeria Nurses And Midwives (NANNM) directed its members to embark on an indefinite strike. The association noted that the strike action became imperative following the non-response of the Oyo State government to its eight-point request.
The state chairman and secretary of the union, Dr. Adeyemi Samuel and Aina Emmanuel respectively, said some of their requests included mass recruitment of nurses and midwives/nurse educator into Hospitals Management Board, Primary Health Care Board, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso and Oyo State College of Nursing Sciences, Eleyele, Ibadan to address the gross shortage of staff to improve health care delivery in the state; and the adoption and implementation of 25 per cent CONHESS, among others.
While the strike was still on, the council chairman, Adeyemi, on June 6, 2024, called on Governor Seyi Makinde to swiftly address its eight cardinal demands to enable the call of the action. He insisted that the association had been suffering from administrators since 2011 ranging from poor recruitment to formalisation of workers’ promotion, hazard allowance and uniform allowance despite the promise of the government to respond to the association’s demands, since the year 2020.
Then on Monday, June 24, the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) in the state began a seven-day warning strike. The union’s president, John Fabunmi, communicated this decision in a notification letter sent to members across all health institutions, ministries, departments, and local councils in the state.
The union emphasised the necessity of the strike to push their demands further, noting that despite reminding the state government of their grievances, no action was taken to address them. The workers said the action became imperative following the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum given to the government to address their grievances. Fabunmi had maintained that the workers would continue the strike until their demands were met.
Expectedly, the strikes paralysed activities in hospitals in Ibadan. This was observed at the State Hospital at Ring Road, Oni and Son Memorial Hospital and Jericho Nursing Home. However, The Guardian visited some primary health centres in Ogbomoso and Iseyin and observed that health workers were on duty. They attributed their presence at their duty posts to the then ongoing Maternal and Child Health Week.
With the outbreak of cholera, many fear that the strikes might exacerbate the situation. Speaking on the development, a health researcher, Adewale Moshood, lamented the effects of the strikes on the health of the residents. Moshood said the strikes had increased the mortality rate in the state.
“Due to the ongoing strike by two different unions in the Oyo State health sector there is no gainsaying that mortality rate has increased tremendously. During our last visit to public health facilities in the state, we discovered that some patients that had been given appointments for over a month ago have not been able to get any medical attention thereby deteriorating their health conditions.
“From another angle, the state government is losing a huge amount of money to the neighbouring states due to the ongoing strike as patients cannot wait for this unending strike to end their lives untimely,” he said.
He attributed the strike to insensitivity on the part of the state government, stressing: “Insensitivity on the part of the government is the major reason for incessant strikes in the state. If you look at the first tenure of this government, it was known for responding swiftly to workers demands and dialoguing with them when necessary. But there are lots of lapses in this second term. Secondly, some unions in the health sector are claiming that the governor has approved some of their demands but some unscrupulous elements at the helm of affairs at the Civil Service Commission are the ones sabotaging the effort of this current administration.”
He emphasised that at this critical period of cholera outbreak, the governor should endeavour to hold meetings with the agitating unions to find a lasting solution to their demands.
“While doing that, he should look inward to detect some employees of the government who are keen on sabotaging the effort of the government and mete out to them the necessary punishment in accordance with the law,” he said.
Also speaking, the immediate past Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the state, Emmanuel Ogundiran, appealed to both parties to go back to the round table in the interest of the citizens.
Ogundiran said the unions embarked on strikes over unfulfilled agreements with the government. He stated that when workers are pushed to the wall, their next weapon is strike.
According to him, the strike became the last resort after several steps such as a series of meetings, letters and other steps. He said:”The implications are immense and critical. There is a shortage of hands in the sector and now we have a cholera outbreak.
“I want to appeal to both parties to come back to the round table to negotiate in the interest of the citizens.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Oyo State Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Akin Fagbemi, has appealed to the striking health workers to call off the industrial action in the interest of the entire populace of the state.
Fagbemi stated that Governor Makinde has been very magnanimous in responding to all workers’ issues. He added that the advert to recruit competent hands into different categories vis-a-vis the doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, physiotherapist and all relevant areas within the board had been published.
Fagbemi said the demands of the striking nurses were purely administrative, which is within the power of the state government to do, and the governor had given his directives in regard to their demands .
cholera outbreak
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