Patients, particularly at federal health institutions, were left stranded yesterday as nurses, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), began a seven-day nationwide warning strike.
The strike, which followed the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued by NANNM to the federal government, disrupted healthcare services across Nigeria.
The President of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, said the strike was in response to issues including poor remuneration, staff shortages, unpaid allowances, and unsafe working conditions.
Patients were left stranded in general hospitals across the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) due to the nurses’ strike.
Our correspondents, who visited some of the government hospitals across the area councils on Wednesday, saw patients sitting in waiting rooms without any nurses on the ground to attend to them.
Some of the patients who waited for several hours had to go back home.
At Abaji General Hospital, the waiting room, male/female wards, orthopedic unit, as well as the accident and emergency unit were deserted. Only cleaners, security guards, and pharmacists were seen in the hospital.
A patient, Kabiru Alhassan, who spoke with our reporter, said he had been feeling feverish and decided to visit the hospital for care, but discovered that the nurses, who would typically move his file to the doctor’s office, were on strike.
“I have been here for almost two hours to see a doctor. I have to leave and go to an open shop to get some drugs,” he said.
Our correspondent also observed that two female patients were seen at the GOPD ward of the hospital who were said to have delivered babies through operation since Monday.
Our reporter, who also visited both Kwali and Kuje general hospitals, observed that all patients’ wards were deserted, while the accident and emergency units of the hospitals were also shut down with no nurses on the ground.
Mrs. Rabiat Gambo, a housewife who brought her sick daughter to the hospital, told our reporter that there was no nurse on the ground to attend to them.
At Primary Healthcare Centre, Dutse Makaranta, only community health extension workers were seen attending to patients.
At the General Hospital Kubwa, no nurse was seen working as they complied fully with the strike.
However, a worker in the hospital, who simply gave her name as Ruth, said the nurses were in the labor room but not in their uniform in case of emergencies.
“The strike is in full force, but there are nurses in the labor room for emergency cases. They are not in their uniforms,” she said.
A doctor in the hospital, who preferred to remain anonymous, said all the patients on admission were discharged following the nurses’ strike, and only visitors with life-threatening conditions were being attended to at the emergency section.
At the National Hospital, full compliance was also observed.
Due to the lack of nurses, other healthcare workers were left to perform tasks usually handled by nurses.
One nurse, who declined to be named, told our correspondent that: “We started the strike today. We deserve many remuneration benefits, which we are not getting.”
At the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, medical services were slow as patients waited for hours to be attended to.
Patients at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) have begun leaving the facility following the commencement of the seven-day warning strike.
Daily Trust correspondent, who visited the hospital, reports that the industrial action had crippled health service delivery.
Doctors at the hospital said the situation is forcing patients to seek medical services elsewhere.
Consultant General Surgeon and Head of the Accident and Emergency Department, Dr. Peter Onuminya, said the strike has significantly disrupted emergency services.
Dr. Onuminya said, “Healthcare delivery is teamwork, and whenever a member of the team is absent, it is usually going to affect the delivery of service of the team. So, we know that they are very critical when it comes to reception and general care for sick patients. In the emergency department, we have people coming with critical conditions that need monitoring, nursing care, drug delivery, and other things. So, their absence has significantly affected the delivery of such services. What we can only deliver are skeletal services because of their absence.”
Healthcare services disrupted at hospitals in Bauchi
The strike affected medical activities in various hospitals across Bauchi State yesterday.
When our correspondent visited the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (ATBU-TH), he observed that the antenatal section of the hospital was almost deserted.
The situation was the same at Bauchi Specialist Hospital, where the nurses also shunned their duties. Some senior nurses were seen at the emergency section, working in their mufti.
Many patients decried the absence of nurses in the hospitals.
When contacted, ATBU-TH Head of Public Relations and Protocol Units, Usman Abdullahi Koli, said the management of the hospital had made an emergency arrangement to cover the gap created by the nurses’ strike.
Borno State affected by strike
Yesterday, patients in federal health institutions in Borno State also decried the strike by the nurses in the state.
Speaking to our correspondent, one of the patients at University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital said the strike had affected medical operations in all departments.
At the Eye Centre, Maiduguri, another patient, Asabe Yakubu, said the hospital was empty without the nurses.
“You know, the bulk of the job is being carried out by the nurses, but none of them is around today.
“I came to follow up on my tooth extraction, but it seems things will not work out. I couldn’t sleep last night because of the pain I endured, but I still have to return home,” she said.
She called on the nurses to consider the plight of patients, especially those with emergency cases, and call off the strike.
“Many people suffer from this strike. I appeal to the federal government to reach out to the leadership of the nurses and settle their problem so that ordinary citizens should not suffer,” she added.
When contacted, the Chairman of the NANNM in Borno State, Nurse Halima Mustapha, said they fully complied with the directives received from the national body.
Skeletal services at Kano hospitals
In Kano, skeletal services were observed across public healthcare facilities, especially secondary clinics.
Our correspondent visited Muhammadu Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital and Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, which are the major secondary clinics in metropolitan Kano.
It was observed that while many patients and caregivers were still trooping into the hospitals to access healthcare services, most of them who were not aware of the strike action were left stranded.
An old man, who brought his sick father, was left outside the emergency facility waiting for a miracle to happen.
“We came yesterday, and he was given treatment. We went back home. We came back today to hear that they are on strike. There is nobody to attend to us.”
Skeletal services were rendered mostly by interns, doctors, and other healthcare service providers.
Nurses in Benue join
In Benue State, the union joined the strike on Wednesday following a directive from the national body of the association, which called for full compliance and solidarity across all 36 states and the FCT.
However, at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), the compliance level was mild, occasioned by the influx of patients from internally displaced persons’ camps and the need for medical care.
It was learned that the management of the hospital earlier appealed to the nurses in the facility over the matter.
Speaking to journalists in Makurdi, the state Chairman of NANNM, Nurse Tahav Karshio, who spoke through his media aide, Nurse Moses Mhange, said that the strike commenced on Wednesday throughout the state.
He said that nurses and midwives in all hospitals across the state have begun the strike in compliance with the national directive.
Kwara State hospitals affected
In Ilọrin, the Kwara State capital, the ongoing strike by nurses has started to take its toll at the various government hospitals in the state.
At the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), many patients were discharged, and others left unattended due to the absence of healthcare personnel.
When Daily Trust visited the facility on Wednesday, several hospital beds that previously had patients were empty. Families of patients still on admission were seen making arrangements to move their loved ones to private hospitals due to the lack of medical attention.
Some patients with serious health conditions, including kidney-related ailments, were reportedly left unattended for hours, worsening their conditions.
It was observed that the few nurses who had remained, including student nurses, were driven out by officials of their union enforcing the industrial action.
A patient, Miss Omowumi, described the situation as dire and worsening.
“The doctors said they are only responsible for examination and prescription, not drug administration. The nurses warned us not to self-administer drugs, but they have all been driven away. Since then, I and many others have been left without medication despite how severe our conditions are,” she said.
Several other patients were hurriedly discharged, further compounding the situation.
Mr. Idrissu Abdullahi, who has been with his mother at the hospital for over two months, said they were advised to take her home and continue treatment there.
“My sister, who is a staff member at the hospital, suggested we manage our mother at home since she is already in recovery. The main issue now is the sore on her leg, and we can be dressing it and giving her medication ourselves. Thankfully, my sister is a nurse,” he explained.
On his part, Mr. Ishola Moses, whose in-law was also on admission, narrated how the strike almost led to a confrontation with a staff member at the hospital’s blood bank.
He said he was asked to replace two pints of blood given to the patient before she could be discharged.
“My patient was discharged in a hurry because of the lack of care since the strike began. While I agreed to return the two pints of blood, I do not understand why her discharge should be delayed at the expense of her life. We were already making arrangements to refund the blood, so how is that my fault?
“The most frustrating part is that I had already secured a space at the only hospital in Ilọrin that can handle her case properly. If I do not complete this clearance in the next few minutes, I may lose the opportunity due to the high demand for bed space at the private hospital,” he said.
Patients discharged abruptly in Bayelsa
Patients and those in need of healthcare services in Bayelsa State were on Wednesday stranded as public hospitals in Bayelsa abruptly discharged them as a result of the strike to press home their demands on the issues affecting them.
The strike affected public hospitals in the early hours of the day, as union leaders were on the ground to monitor compliance.
When Daily Trust visited the Primary Health Centre in Amarata community, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital, the busy health centre was not even open as of 9 am, a situation which locals said might be due to the strike.
Also, at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), few patients were seen roaming around some wards without prompt attention.
Some patients said that they were still waiting for doctors’ attention after arriving at the hospital as early as 8 am.
Also, those who said they were on appointment with the doctors on Wednesday were also seen roaming around, waiting for attention.
The Chairman of NANNM at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Mr. Liberia Woyengibarafagha Progress, who led the enforcement team at FMC, said there would be no skeletal services while the warning strike lasted.
Also speaking, the National Treasurer of NANNM, Federal Health Institution Sector and South-South Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Amos Ombufa, said after the warning strike, in accordance with labor law, the union would also give the federal government another 21-day ultimatum to meet the needs of the nurses, adding that if at the end of the ultimatum, the demands are not met, they will proceed on an indefinite strike.
The Public Relations Officer at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Mr. Akpedi Bernard, said though it was unfortunate that nurses were proceeding on strike, the management envisaged it and put the house together by mobilizing the doctors to provide skeletal services.
In Edo State, nurses in government hospitals also joined the nationwide strike.
Patients at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and the Central Hospital, Benin, were left stranded.
Action worsens healthcare services in Lagos
A visit by Daily Trust to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) yesterday revealed empty wards with red ribbons indicating restricted access.
The medical emergency and several other departments appeared deserted.
A patient, who declined to state his name, blamed the doctors and nurses for their resort to incessant strikes, describing it as showing little concern for the lives of patients.
In Oyo State, nurses and midwives working at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, yesterday joined the seven-day warning strike to press home their demands from the Federal Government.
Rising from an emergency Congress held at the Nurse Lounge of the hospital, the UCH Chapter of the union in Ibadan stated that they saw the need to align with the directive in the interest of the workers.
Many of the nurses who had reported for duty on Wednesday morning were seen returning to their posts, with a resolve to remove their uniforms and return home.
Speaking shortly after the congress, the State Chairman, Comrade Olufunmilola Familu, said the demands of the association include employment of more nursing personnel and provision of adequate facilities for the various hospitals and health institutions, demand for directorate cadre for nurses at the Federal Ministry of Health, among others.
FG calls for dialogue
The federal government, on Wednesday, called on the leadership of the NANNM to shelve its ongoing nationwide strike action and embrace dialogue.
It said the action being embarked upon by the union wouldn’t solve critical issues that have enveloped the health sector over time, stressing that only round-table discussion would do.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Maigari Dingyadi, in a statement, urged the union to continue already initiated and scheduled meetings on Friday at the Federal Ministry of Health with his counterpart.
Reacting to the ongoing strike, the labor and employment minister, who spoke through the spokesperson of the ministry, Patience Onuobia, said the government would work out resolutions that would resolve the disputes.
“The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, yesterday held talks with the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives to avert their proposed strike.
“He implored them to step back from their planned action, as a strike is not the best solution to industrial disputes. The Minister urged the association to embrace dialogue while the government continues to work on addressing their concerns.
“The meeting will continue on Friday at the Ministry of Health, as the government works out a resolution to the dispute,” Onuobia explained in a statement she signed.
Experts speak
A medical practitioner, Adeniyi Kolawole, said on day one the impact of the strike is already being felt.
“What do you think will happen if there are emergencies? Like a woman in labor or someone that needs to be taken to an ICU due to his/her condition. If such people are not attended to, it could lead to death,” he said.
Another medical practitioner, Rukayat Hassan, reiterated her earlier call on the government to wade into the matter.