Health workers in Kaduna State have embarked on a five-day warning strike.
Visits by NAN to public hospitals revealed that only doctors and laboratory technicians were on duty. Some patients had already been discharged due to the lack of nurses to care for them.
In an interview on Monday, Ishaku Yakubu, the chairman of the National Association of Nurses and Midwives in Kaduna, explained that the strike is to push for some demands. He noted that the state government has not met several demands over the years.
“The health workers embarked on the strike over issues that are yet to be resolved between them and the state government. The health workers have been on CONHESS salary structure since 2009.
“We have the 2012 and 2013 versions that need to be reviewed by the state government, but up till now, they have done nothing about it,” he said.
Yakubu also said that while doctors received a 100% salary approval, nurses have not received any increases. Additionally, the state government has not yet approved the 2003 hazard allowance that the federal government approved.
Aishatu Mohamed-Saqid, the permanent secretary of the state Ministry for Health, said she would respond officially to the situation on Tuesday.
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