July 30, (THEWILL) — The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has declared a seven-day nationwide warning strike, which began midnight on Tuesday, July 29, to protest worsening conditions of service as well as government’s disregard.
Key demands from NANNM include the gazetting of the nurses’ scheme of service approved in 2016, implementation of a National Industrial Arbitration Court (NIC) judgement from January 27, 2012, an upward review of professional allowances for nurses and midwives, and the employment of more nursing personnel with adequate provision of health facility equipment.
The association also seeks the creation of a Department of Nursing within the Federal Ministry of Health, inclusion of nurses in health policy-making bodies, fair representation on federal health institution boards, centralisation of internship postings for graduate nurses, and consultancy for nurses and midwives. A significant point of contention is the recently released circular on reviewed allowances for health workers, which NANNM deems “grossly inadequate and discriminatory”.
The strike action follows the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued to the federal government.
While the strike is expected to affect all government-owned health facilities across the nation, including 74 federal hospitals, teaching hospitals, federal medical centre, specialist institutions, general hospitals, and primary healthcare centres in all 36 states, the FCT, and 774 local government areas, NANNM has advised patients to “make alternative plans in advance” as no services, including emergency services, will be provided during the warning strike.
NANNM is a professional-cum trade union organisation recognised by the Trade Unions (Amendment) Act of 2005. It is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation authorised to organise all professional nurses and midwives who are trained, registered and licenced to practice Nursing Profession at all the levels of healthcare delivery system, namely primary, secondary and tertiary both in public and private sectors in the country.
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