” Anxiety As Lagos Doctors May Declare Full Strike
Nurses in Nigeria’s public hospitals, followed doctors in government owned hospitals in Lagos, and began a seven-day “warning” strike on Wednesday, demanding improved remuneration, better working conditions and increased recruitment, after a two-week ultimatum to the government expired without resolution.
The Lagos doctors’ three day warning strike which started on Monday, July 27, following the declaration by the Medical Guild, an association of doctors employed by the State government supposed to have ended last night, with the issues yet to be fully resolved.
The Lagos doctors listed key demands, including the immediate reversal of the July deductions and the full payment of the 12-month revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) arrears owed to honorary consultants at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
There are indications that the doctors may commence full strike next week as the state government was yet to meet all the demands as at Wednesday, despite the promised quick intervention.
However, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) warned that if their demands are not met by next week, the union will embark on an indefinite strike, the first in over two decades.
“We hope that before the seventh day, we’ll have attention and positive response from the federal government,” said Christianah Adeboboye, head of the nurses’ and midwives’ union in Lagos.
A meeting on Tuesday between the union and a government delegation led by Labour Minister Muhammad Dingyadi ended in a stalemate.
“When you look at the composition of the meeting, it already shows that no outcome could have been gotten out of that meeting,” said Toba Odumosu, union secretary in Lagos, citing the absence of Health Minister Ali Pate as a critical gap.
The impasse underscores the growing rift between healthcare workers and the government, leaving patients vulnerable as hospitals brace for further disruptions.
The union is pushing for the recruitment of more nurses, pointing to a sharp decline in personnel as over 42,000 nurses have left Nigeria for jobs abroad in the past three years, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria
