Health workers at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State commenced an industrial action to press home their demands, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
A NAN correspondent, who visited the tertiary health institution, reports that some patients who needed the services of the striking workers were turned back.
Although medical doctors and nurses were sighted attending to patients, the other affected departments remained under lock.
The affected departments included medical laboratories, radiology and physiotherapy, which were shut.
Olusegun Sotiloye, the UCH branch Chairman of the National Union of Allied Health Professionals, said that the strike would continue until the Federal Ministry of Health accedes to the union’s demand.
Sotiloye said the union was canvassing that health professionals be allowed to reach the peak of their career by being appointed as directors.
“Even at the board of management level, allied professionals are not represented, only medical practitioners are chosen,” he said.
He said inequity in the treatment of health professionals was negatively impacting on the sector, adding: “Not until medical practitioners agree that others are equal before we start moving in the right direction in this profession.”
He advised medical practitioners to learn to give others their rightful dues, saying only this would guarantee industrial harmony in the sector.
A top official of the hospital, who pleaded for anonymity since he was not authorised to speak, said the management could not intervene in the dispute as it was a national strike.
He said: “What we can only do now is to appeal to them to engage in skeletal work and that will be decided at a meeting we are having this afternoon.
“We are sure that other hospitals in the country might likely do the same since doctors can hardly do anything meaningful without the physiotherapists and others.”
Efforts made to speak with the Chief Medical Director of UCH, Prof. Temitope Alonge, proved abortive as NAN correspondent was told he had travelled out for an official assignment.
Similarly, workers at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State said they would embark on an indefinite strike on Wednesday.
The spokesman of the health workers at the centre, Samuel Idowu, said the strike was to protest the non-implementation of its agreement the with government and the judgment given by the National Industrial Court.
He also said the workers were seeking consultancy and specialist allowances as well as call/shift duty and other professional allowances.
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