Healthcare pro­fessionals under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professionals at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan in Oyo State staged a peace­ful protest yesterday over what they described as insensitivity of the Fed­eral Government to their plights.

 

Members of the unions, currently on strike, carried placards with various inscrip­tions such as “Federal Minis­try of Health, people are dy­ing, accede to our demands; Release all the circulars ac­cording to National Indus­trial Court judgment; Follow the rule of law and imple­ment the National Industrial Court judgment; and Enough is Enough, Mr. President ad­dress the burning issues in the health sector.”

 

 

Addressing the protesters, Chairman, National Associa­tion of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, UCH branch, Mr. Samuel Adeyemi, said the medical practitioners, who were not on strike, could function in the hospitals without the health profes­sionals.

 

“They make Nigerians to believe that they are work­ing, but as you can see, the wards are deserted. They are only deceiving Nigerians. We have just started. The protest is just the beginning and until the Federal Govern­ment is ready to accede to our demands, we are not ready to call of the strike,” he said.

 

Oladele described the non-payment of the check-offs of the unions by the Federal Government as an attempt to paralyse the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professionals.

By OLUSEYE OJO, Ibadan