As the strike of the federal health workers continues, patients of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Lagos, have been ordered out of the hospital.
One of the patients, who spoke with The Eagle Online, said the order was passed down to them in the evening on Thursday and they were given less than 12 hours to vacate the hospital.
The patient, who is undergoing treatment for broken leg bones, said the management of the hospital went round from ward to ward making the announcement.
The patient told The Eagle Online: “Where do I go now with treatment in progress?
“That had been my dilemma since they came to make the announcement.”
Saturday (today) makes it Day 5 of the strike with no hope of a resolution in sight.
The workers, under the aegis of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, began the strike on Tuesday but only sent the patients away after the government did not take steps to resolve the face-off.
The workers’ action followed the non-payment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, to medical and health workers in Federal Government-owned hospitals and health institutions.
The Chairman of the MHWUN, Lagos State chapter, Ibe Nwokenta, said the workers will continue with the strike until their demands were met.
Nwokenta said that the union is resolute on the struggle for the implementation of CONHESS.
He urged the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, to withdraw all the previous circulars directing the skipping of implementation of the new salary scale from all the parastatal and agencies under the ministry.