Patients, JOHESU urge Lagos govt to accede to union’s requests as strike enters 3rd week

Patients seeking treatment at various public health facilities in Lagos have expressed frustration as the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) strike enters its third week in the state.

The patients, who spoke in separate interviews with journalists yesterday, urged the Lagos State Government to accede to the union’s requests to enable full operations to resume at hospitals.

A check at the General Hospital, Gbagada; Ikorodu General Hospital; General Hospital, Odan, Lagos and Randle General Hospital, revealed that the strike disrupted clinical services at the health facilities.

Doctors and nurses were the only health workers seen attending to patients, mostly in emergency services.

Mr Daniel Okoh, a relative of a patient at the Gbagada General Hospital, complained that the files of patients weren’t brought out as they were turned away and told to return when the strike ends.

Okoh expressed concern that the perennial strikes by health workers could worsen morbidity and mortality among patients.

Similarly, Mrs Christina Essiet, lamented that her daughter’s scheduled appointment at Ikorodu General Hospital, was affected by the strike, disclosing that she would resort to the use of herbs.

“We waited for a long time to see a doctor but they are overwhelmed attending to emergency cases and I can’t afford the cost of seeking treatment at the private hospital.

“A good Samaritan gave me the money we used for transport, I will use the remaining change for herbs. My appeal is that the government should dialogue with the union for quick solutions,” she said.

A health worker who pleaded anonymity noted  that the ongoing strike had resulted in a scarcity of blood at laboratories.

“The medical scientists who are to screen donated blood are on strike and this scarcity exposes patients, who require blood transfusions, to danger.

“Last week, several accidents were recorded across the state; we had to beg the public to donate blood, after which we faced another challenge of professionals that would screen the blood.

“One of the accident victims was a JOHESU member who started crying for help and this forced some members to come to their aid.

“Things shouldn’t get to this stage in the health sector; the government needs to rise to its responsibility by doing right for all professionals.”

Mr Toba Odumosu, Secretary, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) Lagos Branch, disclosed that JOHESU strike had exerted immense pressure on nurses who are struggling to fill the vacuum.

“The service of all health workers is required for the effective functioning of hospitals. We appeal to the government to dialogue with the Union,” Odumosu said.

Secretary, JOHESU Lagos Council, Mr Adegboyega Kabiawu, said the strike was beyond solidarity with their national body, stressing that the Union had several outstanding issues with the Lagos State Government.

“We communicated all these local issues to the relevant government agencies and told them categorically that if our demands are met, we won’t embark on a strike in Lagos.

“However, the government ignored us and our stance is that the strike continues till our demands are met.”

He listed the demands to include domestication of the consultancy pharmacy, which he described as a Federal Government directive that had been adopted by some states.

“The government, in 2018, acceded to our request and adopted it but the consultancy physicians vehemently kicked against it, saying that the nomenclature of consultancy is an exclusive right of doctors in the sector

“They made a lot of incursions, threatening that they would proceed on strike to disrupt health services and the circular was withdrawn.

“Lagos cannot be different from other states of the federation.

“If it is granted in other states and even in federal institutions, like Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi and it’s not disrupting health practices in those institutions, why will it now disrupt Lagos State general hospitals?” he queried.

He listed other demands as the creation of directories of medical laboratory services which had been pending since 2014, improving welfare for staff, especially the provision of staff buses.

“Another issue is the retention allowance which is causing inequity. Why are you paying doctors and nurses and omitting other health professionals in the same system?”

“There are also calculation errors in the payment of our allowance. All these issues were presented to the government and none was addressed.”

He disclosed that JOHESU members constituted 85 percent of state and federal health workers, urging the government to accede to their demands to enhance smooth health service delivery.

JOHESU began its strike in Lagos on December 2, while its national body had already initiated a nationwide strike which started on November 15, due to irreconcilable differences between the union and the Federal Government.

JOHESU is an umbrella union for health workers, such as pharmacists, physiotherapists, dieticians, medical laboratory scientists, optometrists and radiographers.

Others are dental therapists, medical physicists, health information managers, clinical psychologists and medical social workers.

Its members cut across the tertiary, secondary and primary health centres.