The leadership of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) on Sunday vowed to continue the ongoing indefinite nationwide strike, despite the recent attacks on its members by Medical Doctors.
Biobelemoye Joy Josiah, JOHESU National Chairman, who stated this in a statement obtained by BusinessDay, condemned the assault inflicted on the Union’s members in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital by some doctors.
To this end, the Union which called for the intervention of Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health, noted that the strike will be called-off as soon as Federal Government fulfill its part of the bargain by implementing the judgment of the National Industrial Court (NIC) and other demands.
“Our attention has been drawn to the malhandling of the JOHESU Branch Chairman of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, ISTH, Comrade Fidelis Ogobor by the Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee, CMAC, Dr. Wilson Ovienria on Friday, September 22, 2017, just when Comrade Ogobor was leading a monitoring team to check compliance of workers to the strike called by the national body of JOHESU.
“We express our displeasure with the ISTH CMAC who stooped so low to have slapped Comrade Ogobor and destroyed the mobile handset (iphone) belonging to another of our member, Mr Tune.
“JOHESU by this statement call on the Honourable Minister of Health, Professor. Isaac Adewole to as a matter of urgency call Doctors across hospitals in Nigeria to be mindful of provoking our members who have remained calm since we called for strike and will remain so, while waiting patiently for government to do the needful.
“JOHESU wishes to inform the Honourable minister of Health by this statement and a message sent to the minister’s office that after assaulting members who did not try to retaliate but only notified the police DPO at Irrua, the ISTH CMAC has continued to threaten to attack our union leaders and to sack workers.
“We also wish to remind the Minister that during the period when the Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) embarked on strike, no JOHESU member had any cause to have any provocative encounter nor interfere with the doctors or any member of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA).
“We also remind Government that no amount of provocation will intimidate JOHESU members from continuing our just fight against discrimination, corruption, underfunding etc, until our demands are met.
“We have declared “Operation Alligator Bite” as the code-name of the ongoing strike over the refusal of the Federal Government to implement series of MOUs, agreements and court cases which JOHESU has won at the National Industrial Court, including neglect of our members.
“We appeal to the general public to understand our position, as we respect our patients and would not wish anyone to be sick, but we have to also state that fighting for better healthcare delivery and welfare of workers at the hospitals are paramount.
“We assure that as soon as government fulfil its part of the bargain, we will call off our industrial action,” Josiah said.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
