Health workers in the
country will begin an
indefinite strike on Thursday
(today) over sundry issues,
including the unresolved
leadership crisis in the
health sector, non-
commencement of residency
training programme for
health professionals, non-
implementation of new call
duty allowance and non-
payment of arrears.
National President of Nigeria
Union of Allied Health
Professionals, Felix Faniran,
who announced the
commencement of the strike
in Ibadan on Wednesday,
accused the presidency and
Minister of Health, Prof.
Onyebuchi Chukwu, as being
behind the crisis in the
health sector.
Faniran said, “In May 2010,
the unions in the health
sector under the auspices of
Joint Health Sector Unions
presented a memorandum to
the government containing
some demands. A presidential
panel headed by Justice
Abdulahi Bello Gusau was set
up in August to look into the
demands. This panel was
inhibited from carrying out its
duties by both the Nigerian
Medical Association and the
Minister of Health by way of
protests and criticisms on
the part of NMA while the
minister obstructed the
committee by starving it of
funds and issuance of
circulars to pre-empt the
outcome of the panel.
“The panel managed to
submit its report in
November, 2011, but till date
none of the 27
recommendations of the
panel has been implemented.
It should be noted that
another panel, the Ministerial
Committee on Medical/Dental
Practitioners Residency
Programmes, which was set
up the same day with
Abdulahi Bello’s committee,
did not only complete and
submit its report as
scheduled, its
recommendations are already
being implemented.”
He added that the five-point
agreement signed between
the government and the
health workers’ union in
May, 2012, was yet to be
implemented by the
government.
He explained, “These include
the promotion of our qualified
members to the post of
Directors in the Federal
Ministry of Health and
parastatals; extension of
retirement age from 60-65
years and 70 years for non-
consultants respectively;
and constitution of the
management of boards of
hospitals to reflect good
presence of other health
care professionals rather
than the present situation
where only medical
practitioners dominate each
board with 10 members out
of 13 members.”
The effect of the strike
should be blamed on
government that ignored all
avenues to avert it, the
NUAHP president said.

Here we go again.