The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has issued a strike notice to the Nigerian government.
The association urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the health sector to ensure a comprehensive resolution of all matters plaguing the sector.
A statement on Monday by Aliyu Shehu, national publicity secretary, said such radical approach is “urgently needed to resolve issues in the health sector including administration, practice, headship, representation, benefits, and welfare of all stakeholders in the industry”.
It warned that resolution of contentious issues with members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) would open up a chain of industrial actions by other unions and associations in the health industry.
NANNM said that the issues it presented to government predated those raised by NARD, which the Federal Ministries of Health and Labour ignored in spite of court judgments.
The association listed some of their demands to include chronic shortage of both general and specialised manpower in the various institutions, provision of medical consumables and services, stagnation, re-designation, and demotion of members.
NANNM also called for a restoration of payment of teaching allowance to deserving members and payment of arrears owed from 2011 to date in most hospitals.
“Non-payment of uniform allowance owed from 2008 till date in some hospitals, non-payment of arrears of relativity allowance and non-deduction and non-remittance of union dues by some hospital managements are also included,’’ it said.
NANNM called on the government to do the needful within the window period to avoid the imminent nationwide strike.
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