The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has appealed to members of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) to shelve the planned strike scheduled for Monday, February 24.

 

According to Chukwu, the federal government is committed to improving the nation’s healthcare delivery system and any unrest in the sector will negatively affect the masses.

 

Meanwhile, president of the association, Abdulrafiu Adeniji, says the judgment of the court and the industrial arbitration panel which mandated the Federal Government to recognise nursing as an autonomous profession in addition to allowing graduate registered nurses to start work on Grade Level 08 34 years ago prompted the planned strike.

 

Adeniji said: “The continuous refusal of the Federal Ministry of Health to comply in full on the implementation of the NSC judgement for the past 34 years can no longer be tolerated by the professional association of nurses and midwives.

 

“Nurses have been patient for 34 years, from May 1981, when the Industrial Administration Panel Award was given, coupled with the fact that subsequent NSC judgments and even the appeal filed by the Federal Ministry of Health were all in favour of the association”, he issued a seven day ultimatum “with effect from February 14” to the ministry of health to “implement the judgment in full”.