Health workers under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Allied Healthcare Professionals, NUAHP, yesterday suspended its three-week old strike in Federal Government owned tertiary and secondary health institutions.
The union has thus ordered all its members across the country to resume work today.
NUAHP members include physiotherapists, radiographers, dentists, radiologists, medical laboratory scientists, dieticians and pharmacists amongst others.
It will be recalled that the strike which commenced on May 18, has crippled the health sector across the nation with patients feeling the bitter pills.
National President of the union, Dr. Obinna Ogbonna, while calling on members to return to work today, said the National Administrative Council of the union on June 4, having assessed the impact of the strike through responses from the unit branches across the nation agreed that the strike was very effective nationwide and has drawn the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari to the pending issues in the sector that the immediate past government left unresolved.
Ogbonna, who agreed that although, the unions are yet to achieve all their demands which necessitated the strike, said the national leaders decided to suspend the strike in honour of the newly elected government of President Mohammadu Buhari, but gave the new government till July 31 to resolve the crisis bedeviling the health sector.
He said: “The strike should be suspended in honour of the newly elected government of President Mohammadu Buhari, the unions are giving the government till July 3, 2015 starting from today, the 9th of June, 2015 to see that issues under contention are dispensed with without delay
The association national president who was flanked by the immediate past president, Dr Felix Faniran and other executive members of the union at the UCH branch where the press briefing was held, saluted members of the union for their patience, tenacity and cooperation throughout the period of the strike.
He assured them that no one would be victimised as a result of participating in the strike.
He also lauded the resilient posture of the union at Federal Medical Centre, Owerri in the face of intimidation, blackmail, threat to life and coercion by the Federal Medical Centre management and Federal Ministry of Health officials, to give up their legitimate demands which they have resisted so far.
