DISSATISFIED with government’s implementation of various agreements signed with health professionals in the past, health workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations will begin a three-day warning strike starting from January 22 till 24. 

  In statement signed by JOHESU President, Dr. Ayuba Wabba and other stakeholders yesterday, the health professionals said the strike is a protest for the grave injustice being done to health professionals by government 

  The statement reads in part: “Arising from the meeting between the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and

JOHESU/Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations yesterday (Thursday), and after an exhaustive appraisal of the level of implementation of previous agreements and MOUs signed with the FMOH, it has become imperative that all our members from primary health centres (PHC), state government and tertiary health institutions will proceed on a warning strike of three days from Wednesday January 22 to Friday January 24, 2014, to protest the grave injustice and persistent industrial discrimination against our members.  

  “The government is urged to redress the injustice within 14 days after the warning strike, failing which an indefinite nationwide withdrawal of services from primary healthcare to tertiary levels will continue forthwith.

  “Whereas the Federal Ministry of Health and various hospitals/parastatals had said there were no funds to pay arrears of skipping of CONHESS 10 and specialist allowance illegally denied our members, suddenly there are now funds to pay jumbo allowances and newly approved increases in the CONMESS salary scale.

  “The continued reign of impunity, arbitrariness and non-implementation of duly approved schemes of service of our members in hospitals and ministries must stop forthwith. The violation and infringement of our professional liberties despite court judgments and clear statutory provisions will no longer be tolerated. This has led to the gross mismanagement of the resources of our hospitals and the attendant adverse effect on the provision of services for patient care. No wonder, therefore, medical tourism has continued to increase.

 “The selective and discriminatory increases in wages and allowances of one group in a multi-disciplinary sector without commensurate treatment to other members of the sector is not only provocative and insensitive but also runs counter to social justice and equity.”