COVID-19: Nasarawa health workers embark on strike as 50 colleagues test positive

Coalition of Nasarawa State Health Professional Associations says they have embarked on strike action after 50 members tested positive for Covid-19 in the state.

State Chairman of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Bulus Umaru Peter, who disclosed this yesterday in Lafia said “We embarked on strike action due to many reasons ranging from the 50 health workers that have tested positive for COVID-19.

“The dilemma over health hazard has led our colleagues to have contracted the disease in the course of our work,” he said.

According to him they are compelled to embark on an indefinite strike action after an initial seven days warning strike, due to several legitimate demands which includes non- implementation of promotion and annual increment for over 10 years; non- implementation of the new minimum wage bill; non-implementation of the Covid-19 memorandum of understanding, (MOU) on hazard allowance and life insurance for all health workers in the state and local government areas.

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Bulus alleged that the state government did not show any seriousness. All efforts made by leaders of the health coalition to make government live up to its responsibilities to pay the health workers their legitimate entitlements which have been denied repeatedly for over ten (10) years yielded no positive outcome.

The NMA Chairman said government has not given a definite time frame or commitment with regards to implementation of promotion, annual increment and the new minimum wage.

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He revealed that the MoU on Covid -19 hazard allowance and life insurance, government offered a paltry 25% of the agreed MOU, for which members unanimously rejected, while no meaningful progress was made as regards the issue of life insurance for all health workers by the government.

Bulus said that, following the intervention of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, (NSHA) and the State Council of Chiefs, the Coalition, after due consideration of their pleas, decided to relax the strike action at the local government level as a way of shifting grounds and allowing the commitment and sincerity on the part of government to fast tract and implement the demands.

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The state commissioner for health, Ahmed Yahaya, did not reply sms sent to him on government’s reaction.

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