The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, announced that the federal government’s negotiation team will meet with the leadership of the striking nurses today.
This meeting is part of efforts to end the ongoing industrial action by health workers, which entered its second day yesterday.
On Wednesday, nurses, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), began a seven-day nationwide warning strike.
The strike, according to NANNM’s leadership, addresses issues including poor remuneration, staff shortages, unpaid allowances, and unsafe working conditions.
This strike comes amid an existing face-off between doctors and the government over welfare and other issues, as reported by Daily Trust. The nurses’ strike, which followed the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued by NANNM to the federal government, has disrupted healthcare services across Nigeria.
At the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) in Gwagwalada, doctors were reportedly overwhelmed by the influx of patients. Due to the absence of nurses, doctors were left to perform tasks typically handled by nursing staff.
“It has been like this since Wednesday. Just think of the tasks handled by nurses. They are now being done by the doctors available,” a security operative told our correspondent via telephone.
The situation was similar at the General Hospital Kubwa, with most financially capable patients seeking care at nearby private hospitals.
(Daily Trust)
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