‘Private Sector Members To Join Health Workers’ Strike’

THE Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria and Nigeria Society for Physiotherapy have resolved to invite their members in the private sector to join the ongoing strike of health workers under the auspices of JOHESU in the next few days if the federal government fails to accede to their demands by the first week of February 2015.

   Rising from a consultative meeting over the weekend, the President of PSN, Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, indicated that his colleague Presidents of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists and Nigeria Society for Physiotherapy after a holistic evaluation of the JOHESU strike are of the view that the health workers strike does not worry government, since rather than resolve and issue enabling circulars in line with the 12-point demand of JOHESU, the government at both federal and state levels have been busy campaigning while substantial fatalities continue to be inflicted on consumers of health in Nigeria.

   A statement signed by Akintayo reads: “In the reality that health services have collapsed in all the Federal Health Institutions and major secondary healthcare facilities in all the states of the federation, one would have expected an intervention of the Federal Government. This clearly confirms that healthcare has not and can never be the prerogative of doctors who in the past never failed to remind Nigerians that they were jack of all trade who could render services of other professionals.

   “The private sector strike will be phased as we shall in the first instance invite practitioners in the FCT, Abuja to withdraw services for a few hours for successive days before we shall extend the same to all the 36 states in view of apparent government insensitivity, which is both deplorable and lamentable.”

 “In similar spirit, we call on the over one million members of JOHESU at all tiers of government including federal establishments, the 36 states and the FCT, as well as the 774 local governments to boycott the 2015 elections alongside their dependants, since government and the retinue of politicians know next to nothing about the golden nuggets of good governance, as sanctity of life counts for nothing to these people.”