A Union leader, Mr Yusuf Adeyemi, on Friday urged the Federal Government to give equal treatment to the health workers and doctors for harmonious relationship in the sector.
Adeyemi, the Assistant Secretary, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria , Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba chapter, Lagos, made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
He spoke against the backdrop of the ongoing three days nationwide warning
strike by health workers on the aegis of Joint Health Sector Union.
“If one aspect of that system is missing, there will be a gap and nothing will work.
“But, the government, instead of them to appreciate this, they felt doctors alone can do it all.
“And we said no, whichever way you are looking at doctors, look at other workers same way.
“Because, when you do a kind of segregated approval of allowances and what have you to people, you discover that this is the kind of thing you get.
“This has been on the government`s table.
“That the union has been requesting for a kind of dialogue from the government: let’s see how we can move forward, lets arrive at a compromise and let’s move ahead from there.
“We`ve been requesting for this, the government has never been forthcoming.
“But, unfortunately, another arm of the system, which are the doctors, came up with theirs just last December and under 10 days it was granted and they are on the verge of enjoying it now.
“And, you felt they are the only ones that it should be done to, you felt other segments of the sector are not relevant, they are not important and we said no.”
Adeyemi urged the Federal Government to address the demands of health workers to alleviate the sufferings of patients
He said that the refusal of the Federal Government to grant the demands of health workers forced them to go on strike.
According to him, the strike is inevitable to attract Federal Government`s attention and make them to listen to the plights of health workers.
“Hospital setting is a system comprising other health workers and they should be treated equally,” he said.
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