The Honourable Minister of Health,

Federal Ministry of Health,

Federal Secretariat Complex,

Ahmadu Bello Way,Abuja,

Nigeria.

 

Sir,

 

RE: JOHESU STRIKE; PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR ASSOCIATION IS NOT PART OF JOHESU AND OUR MEMBERS ARE THEREFORE NOT PART OF THE ONGOING JOHESU STRIKE.

 

Preamble: Our Association (comprising only of Nurses with at least the First Degree in Nursing, i.e. B.Sc. Nursing/Bachelor of Nursing Science [B.N.Sc.]) brings you candid fraternal greetings from our pragmatic and peace-loving members.

Please, kindly recall that our association had through our letter, Ref. No.:UGONSA/014/Vol.11/010 dated 11th October, 2014,notified your office of the successful incorporation of our association with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in line with the Companies and Allied Matters Act, No.1, 1990.

 

Kindly also recall that in the letter, we expressed our unalloyed determination and commitment to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Health to achieve its vision of making our healthcare delivery system one of the global best through the transformation agenda of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In pursuit of this noble cause, we wish to bring the following to your notice.We write your Office this day to formally notify you that our association is not part of JOHESU and therefore our members are not part of the misguided and treacherous strike embarked on by the members of JOHESU.

 

It is the belief of our association that the various groups in the health sector can achieve whatever aspirations they are pursuing without resorting to gang-ups in the guise of industrial action especially now that we are blessed with a listening and considerate regime at the Federal Government.

 

All the previous demands of our association that were met by the Federal Government were not achieved through industrial action and we shall achieve our current demands, which among other things include INTERNSHIP FOR THE FRESH UNIVERSITY GRADUATES OF NURSING SCIENCE AND THEIR PROPER PLACEMENT IN THE SCHEMES OF SERVICE without embarking on any strike.

That the Ministry of Health has acknowledged that it is an aberration to place University Graduates of Nursing Science on GL 08 (CONHESS 07) entry point post-NYSC whereas their counterparts in Pharmacy,Physiotherapy,Medical Laboratory Science, etc ( which are five-year programmes in the University for the First Degree with the same entry requirements as Nursing Science) are placed on GL 10 (CONHESS 09) entry point Post –NYSC is a clear indication that the current regime is sincerely a listening one and having put up measures to address it is another demonstration of sincerity of commitment to addressing genuine issues by the current regime.

 

That the Ministry of health has, as well, forwarded a memorandum to the National Council on Establishment (NCE) for approval of internship for the fresh Graduates of the Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc) degree programme without our members embarking on any strike equally shows that the Government is totally committed to meeting feasible and lawful demands of any group via legally established channels.

 

While we appeal to your honourable Office to collaborate with all concerned authorities to expedite action on the release of circular for internship and proper placement of the fresh Graduates of the BNSc degree programme, we enjoin all the unions in the health sector, especially JOHESU, to emulate the way of our association and shun the toga of brigandage in the name of industrial action.

We equally enjoin all the unions in the health sector to support the transformation agenda of the presidency which includes among other things the plan to launch our healthcare delivery system to an enviable position in the global ranking of healthcare delivery systems.

 

It is a crime, to our belief, for any healthcare provider to abandon the unconditional oath of saving human lives which we all swore to uphold because of some selfish gratifications as members of JOHESU are currently doing. We therefore condemn this needless strike in its entirety.

 

While we appeal to Government to always hasten up the satisfaction of genuine demands of the different Health Associations to give all and sundry sense of belonging in the healthcare sector, we reaffirm our unalloyed commitment of assisting the Government realize its transformation agenda in the health sector through dynamic and sustainable professional services of our members.

 

Attached with this letter are copies of press releases and public notices dissociating our Association and its members from JOHESU and its perfidious and misguided industrial action.

 

Thank you.

Chief (Hon) S.E.O. Egwuenu Nurse G.I. Nshi

National President

National Secretary

 

CC:

State Commissioners of Health

Chief Medical Directors/Medical Directors of Tertiary Health Facilities

Directors of Administration of Tertiary Health Facilities

Chairmen, Medical Advisory Committee of Tertiary Health Facilities

Heads of Nursing Services of Tertiary Health Facilities