The ongoing strike by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has plunged the country’s public health system into disarray, with hospitals in the country struggling to make up for the shortage of nurses.
At the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) in Akwa Ibom State, the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. EmemAbasi Bassey, testified that the hospital has had to reject critically ill patients due to a shortage of manpower. He described the situation as poor, with skeletal services being manned by available doctors.
Nurses and midwives are such a key component of the healthcare system,” Prof. Bassey informed journalists. “Now that they have withdrawn services, pressure is greatly on the hospital. We were taken aback, believing negotiations would resolve the issue without going to a strike. But it didn’t.”.
He revealed that several patients in critical need of immediate medical attention, some even in life-threatening conditions, have been left behind. The same was experienced at the General Hospital in Anua, Uyo.
Kennedy Udouko, scheduled for a hernia operation, was also rejected. He claimed he was referred to a more recent government hospital opposite the state Government House after a Catholic hospital that recently upgraded to a General Hospital turned him down. “I was crying. I just want to be treated,” he lamented.
The strike, proclaimed on July 29, has nearly shut down public healthcare services in Nigeria, leaving thousands of patients stranded. Patients at the Asokoro District Hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) spent hours on Thursday waiting to be attended to without success, many of whom were forced to go back home.
Douglas Ogar, who went with a relative for a medical visit, reported that they got there at 8 a.m. but departed by noon without being attended to by a doctor. “We’re just stuck here. We would have gone to a private hospital if we had money,” he explained.
A pregnant woman who was desperate for the relief of a stomachache also left the hospital untreated. “It’s too risky to wait,” she said, and opted instead to visit a private clinic for help.
Frustration and confusion were the day’s agenda at Wuse General Hospital, where patients were mostly informed of the strike when they arrived. Patient Adamu Haliru spent hours waiting and received no help.
The nurses are demanding the gazetting of the revised scheme of service for nurses, which was already approved in 2016, and implementation of a 2012 National Industrial Court decision in their favor. Other key demands are:
- Increased professional allowances
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Increased recruitment of nursing staff
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Better healthcare facilities
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The establishment of a Department of Nursing within the Federal Ministry of Health
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Integration of nurses into key policy bodies
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Fair representation on federal health institutions’ boards
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Posting of intern nurses centrally
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Granting consultancy status to competent midwives and nurses
The seven-day strike shall be sustained unless the federal government, in all haste, facilitates the demands of the association.
