Patients, particularly at federal health institutions, were left stranded yesterday as nurses, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), began a seven-day nationwide warning strike.
The strike, which followed the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued by NANNM to the federal government, disrupted healthcare services across Nigeria.
The President of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, said the strike was in response to issues including poor remuneration, staff shortages, unpaid allowances, and unsafe working conditions.
It was reported that this is coming amid the faceoff between doctors and the government over welfare and other issues.
Patients were left stranded in general hospitals across the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) due to the nurses’ strike.
It was reported that q we some of the government hospitals across the area councils on Wednesday, saw patients sitting in waiting rooms without any nurses on the ground to attend to them.
Some of the patients who waited for several hours had to go back home.
At Abaji General Hospital, the waiting room, male/female wards, orthopedic unit, as well as the accident and emergency unit were deserted. Only cleaners, security guards, and pharmacists were seen in the hospital.A patient, Kabiru Alhassan, who spoke with a reporter, said he had been feeling feverish and decided to visit the hospital for care, but discovered that the nurses, who would typically move his file to the doctor’s office, were on strike.
At the General Hospital Kubwa, no nurse was seen working as they complied fully with the strike.
However, a worker in the hospital, who simply gave her name as Ruth, said the nurses were in the labor room but not in their uniform in case of emergencies.
“The strike is in full force, but there are nurses in the labor room for emergency cases. They are not in their uniforms,” she said.
A doctor in the hospital, who preferred to remain anonymous, said all the patients on admission were discharged following the nurses’ strike, and only visitors with life-threatening conditions were being attended to at the emergency section.
At the National Hospital, full compliance was also observed.
Due to the lack of nurses, other healthcare workers were left to perform tasks usually handled by nurses.
