National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) Federal Capital Territory (FCT) branch on Thursday staged a protest over shutdown of primary healthcare, non-implementation of minimum wage among other lingering issues.
The protest which was jointly organized by the FCT NLC, NUT, NULGE, Medical Health workers workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) among others in the FCT branch witnessed massive crowd who marched to the FCT Minister office, Barr. Nyesom Wike.
Speaking journalists during the protest, the FCT Chairman of NANNM, Jama Menda said, that their concern here is that Nigeria is ranking second in maternal and child deaths adding that those countries that are fighting war are better than Nigeria and yet, the primary health care centers have been closed down over a month.
He said, “Nobody is saying anything about it. And like I said, we have over 270 primary health care centers with only less than 130 nurse midwives in these primary healthcare centers.”
“I am telling you the truth, women are dying, children are dying. They are dying because the health facilities have been locked down for over a month without anything. They are dying because there is a growth shortage of manpower. Like I said, 270 health facilities with only 120 or 130 nurse midwives.
“To tell you that, some hospitals, naturally, they are under lock and key. We are here because we have a growth shortage of manpower at the area council, because nobody has responded. Nobody is responding to women that are dying in the area council because they cannot access the primary health care center.
“We are here because the law has been passed in the country that the minimum pay, minimum wage for every worker, both in health sector and every sector, that is 70,000 Naira. Everywhere, people have implemented paid but council chairman in FCT Area councils decided not to pay the workers their entitlement. Despite the minister has intervened by releasing over N4.1 billion Naira, they refused and diverted the money.
According to him they are protesting because because nurses, health workers put their life, during the COVID period, they put their life at risk yet their hazard allowances have not been paid.
“Nurses are particularly entitled to uniform allowances, but yet uniform allowances have not been paid. The area council chairman has decided not to listen to anybody. I think they get joy when people die at the area council.
“Our demands are that the government should recruit more workers so that we can open up those primary healthcare centers that have no staff. Then they should implement the 70,000 minimum wage.
“They should implement the 25 percent salaries. They should also pay nurses their hazard allowances, workers their hazard allowances. They should also pay the uniform allowances and peculiar allowances and other is 40 percent peculiar allowances that we are demanding for. If they can do that, we will go back.
The Chairman noted that the shocking news is that globally there is going to be a polio vaccination that’s supposed to start, program supposed to start today, but yet the primary health care centers are closed down. There are no workers to go out for this vaccination.
He emphasised that if nothing is done the area councils may record polio cases and that will be very dangerous to this country.
Earlier, the FCT Nigeria Labour Congress Chairman, Comrade Dr Stephen Adalooh Knabayi has outlined that they have presented their demands to the FCT Minister which he assured them of immediate actions.
Cmr. Knabayi stressed that if their demands are not made within the few days the lingering strike will continue in the health and primary education sectors and they take a stiffer industrial action.
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