By Kamsi Anayo, Awka
The Chukwuemaka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital Amaku in Awka, Anambra state capital has been shutdown following a protest over the non-payment of the agreed increment of salary scale.
The strike which was called by the Joint Health Sector Unions, Amaku chapter has also left a lot of patients stranded as they cannot be attended to .
Though the nurses and doctors are not on strike the allied medical workers who are on strike have frustrated medical services in the Teaching Hospital.
At the wards , the patients complained that they are not being attended to, adding that though the doctors and nurses are working, the allied health workers are not there to provide the needed medical assistance to help them .
The striking workers who were seen monitoring compliance with the industrial action visited wards and medical facilities to ensure that their members are not working.
When contacted on phone the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike did not pick his calls, while the Chief Medical Director CMD of the Teaching Hospital was said not to be on seat.
Comrade Kanayo Udozo,
Chairman of Joint Health Sector Unions, Amaku, said
the doctors and nurses are working, but activities in the hospital are paralyzed due to the strike action.
“Doctors are working, but since we are not working the hospital is dead” .
“Our grouse is simple – the 2010 salary structures for the Medical Doctors and the health workers called Consolidated Medical Salaries Structure (CONMES),” he said.
He said that while the doctors have been settled, the rest of the allied health workers were not despite series of meetings, negotiations and promises .
Udozo further said it gave a third ultimatum, and they came again pleading”
“The major demands out of the three demands is COMHES and other states have implemented it, except Anambra and we are poorest paid in the South East which is the flagship.
“They approved two out of the three demands but not the flagship and the Commissioner for Health called us and pleaded for four weeks that the Governor is going to do something about it.
“That four weeks ended last night (yesterday), and finally we have no choice after nine months later. We are now on strike,” he said.
He, however, noted that the body is open for talks with government, stating that should government do the needful the indefinite strike would be called off.
