Nurses and Allied Medical Workers at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, have embarked on an indefinite strike over non-payment of new welfare package approved for medical workers.
A check conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent at the hospital on Saturday, reveals that only doctors at the emergency department are attending to patients who have critical cases.
NAN reports that other departments, including pharmacy and out-patients, were under lock and key, while patients on admission complained that they had not been attended to since Friday.
A new salary structure known as “Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) was approved for clinical health workers by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.
The commission also approved Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for other category of health workers.
A patient ,who gave his name as Okafor, told NAN that he came to collect the result of the test he did two weeks ago and expressed the regret that nobody could attend to him.
“I have prostate cancer and was recently referred to FMC from Ugwueke Mission Hospital. I am confused to see the place locked up after I was told to come for my result today.’’
Okafor, who said he came from Aba, lamented that he did not know the next line of action.
He said that his condition was deteriorating due to lack of medical attention in the last few days.
Another patient, Mrs Oluchi Igbokwe, appealed to the Federal Government to resolve the issues in the interest of Nigerians.
Igbokwe said that she had high blood pressure and warned that “some of us might be at risk if nothing was done fast''.
“The recurrent strike by health workers gives the country a bad image.''
NAN, however, sought comments from some nurses who were at the hospital but they refused to respond.
The nurses advised NAN to contact the managment of the hospital for comments.
The Chairman of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Abia Chapter, Comrade Uche Obigwe, said the strike was in compliance with the directive from the national secretariat of the union.
He explained that the strike was unavoidable following the refusal of the Federal Government to implement the agreement it had with medical workers. (NAN)