The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals, Mr. Felix Faniran, has said that the union will resume its suspended strike if the government fails to meet its demands by March 13th.

This was contained in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Tuesday.

The union is an umbrella body for health professionals except doctors and nurses.

According to him, NUAHP is demanding immediate end to the monopoly of leadership of health institution by doctors, granting of autonomy to the management of teaching hospitals and appointment of a member of association of health care professionals as one of the two ministers manning the health ministry.

He said, “We will resume our suspended strike if, by March 13th, our legitimate demands are not met.”

The NUAHP blamed the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, for the incessant strikes in the health sector, noting that “strikes were very few when Prof. Eyitayo Lambo, who was not a medical doctor, was the minister of health.

He stated that under the Lambo leadership, no profession in the health sector was treated as superior.

He also accused Chukwu of not only “discrimination against other health practitioners in the sector,” he also said the minister supported doctors against other health professionals, citing the appointment of the chief medical director of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex as proof.

Faniran said the association would write a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan to intimate him of the development and demand the reversal of the appointment.