Nigerian nurses under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) have declared that they would only suspend their current strike action if the government meets their demands.

The position was made known in a chat with newsmen by the Chairman of the Cross River State chapter of NANNM, Mrs Josephine Bassey.

Naijaonpoint reports that the nurses embarked on a seven-day warning strike, which began on Wednesday, July 30, to turn the government’s attention to their plight.

Bassey explained that most of the demands revolved around administrative issues such as implementing policy papers and enforcing court judgments.

“Our demands include the gazetting of the nursing scheme of service approved since 2016 and the creation of a Department of Nursing in the Federal Ministry of Health.

“Another key demand is the centralisation of internship for nursing graduates,” she said.

The NANNM official noted that one of their key demands was the gazetting of long-standing approvals by the National Council on Establishments.

She added that other demands include the review of provisional allowances for nurses and midwives, as well as the appointment of nurses to the boards of federal and state health institutions.

She also stressed the urgent need for the employment of more nurses due to severe staffing shortages.

Bassey noted that compliance with the strike directive was total, and they have put a monitoring team in place to ensure full compliance.

“We started as early as 7:30 am to monitor all health facilities across the state to ensure full compliance,” she said.

According to her, any nurse found violating the strike directive would have been forced out of work and sanctioned at the national level.

She called on the government to address their demands as a matter of national importance.

“Nurses make up about 60 to 65 per cent of the healthcare workforce.

“If the government truly appreciates the critical role we play in healthcare delivery, it should address our demands promptly,” she stated.

While she acknowledged the impact of the strike on patients, Bassey urged the public to speak up in support of nurses, noting that they were ready to return to work once their demands are met.

“We feel the pain of the patients, but we also urge them to cry out on our behalf to well-meaning Nigerians and the government, so our concerns can be addressed,” she said.