FCT PHCs Strike: Unions allow access to materials, polio vaccination

By Philip Yatai

Health workers in area councils of the Federal capital Territory (FCT) currently on strike, have agreed to allow their members to participate in the polio immunisation exercise scheduled for May.

The FCT chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) announced the decision in Abuja on Friday.

Mr Jama Medan, Chairman of NANNM, FCT, who spoke on behalf of the unions added that health workers involved in the exercise would also be allowed to participate.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the unions have shut down Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the six area councils of the FCT.

The strike was to demand for the implementation of the 70,000 minimum wage, and payment of outstanding arrears and allowances.

Medan, however, told NAN that the strike by the PHCs’ workers across the six area councils was still on.

He explained that the workers would be allowed to participate in the 10-day exercise, while also allowing access to the immunisation materials and cold chain in the primary healthcare facilities.

“We agreed that all our members that may be needed for the vaccination exercise should come out to implement the vaccination.

“Secondly, we will also allow access to the health facilities where the cold rooms and the immunisation materials are located. We are given 10 days for the exercise.

“However, we did not call off the strike, and we are not allowing any of our members to carry out any other duty rather than the polio vaccination.

“Any health worker going to do any work in the PHCs is not allowed,” he said.

The chairman said that the decision was not to allow innocent children to become victims of circumstances, noting that if children in FCT missed the polio immunisation, some may likely contract the virus.

He added: “Our concern has been the people and not only ourselves.

“We health workers are worried that the innocent Nigerian children in the FCT will miss the May polio vaccination because our members are on strike.

“If they miss the vaccination, there is the possibility that we are going to have a polio outbreak in the FCT, and if such happens, it is going to be worrisome.

“We know the devastating effect of polio on children and if one child is affected and becomes crippled, that child, his parents and Nigerians will never forget us and will never forgive us.”

He called on the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike and other authorities to intervene so that the health workers could call off the strike and return to work.

He said that people were dying every day at the area councils due to lack of access to primary healthcare services in communities following the strike. (NAN)