Kaduna Health Workers Launch Five-Day Strike Over Unmet Demands
By Matthew Eloyi
Health workers in Kaduna State have commenced a five-day warning strike, causing significant disruptions in public hospitals.
A check by newsmen revealed that only doctors and laboratory technicians were on duty, while many patients had been discharged due to the absence of nurses.
In an interview on Monday in Kaduna, Mr. Ishaku Yakubu, Chairman of the National Association of Nurses and Midwives in the state, explained that the strike was initiated to press home their long-standing demands.
“The health workers embarked on the strike over issues that are yet to be resolved between them and the state government,” Yakubu stated. He highlighted that health workers have been on the CONHESS salary structure since 2009, with updates in 2012 and 2013 still pending review by the state government.
Yakubu added, “Since 2015, the state government had promised that they would increase the salary, but up till now, nothing has been done. We have been working on these for the government to do something but they approved the doctors and given them 100 per cent while we nurses are yet to receive anything from them.”
He also pointed out that the state government has not approved the 2003 hazard allowance sanctioned by the Federal Government.
