By Precious Ireoluwa
The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, FETHI, Ekiti State, has dissociated itself from the on-going industrial action embarked upon by some workers’ unions in the hospital.
The Chairperson of NANNM, FETHI branch, Mrs Ajayi Folaranmi Bamitale, who gave the indication in an interview with PinpointNews in her office, said it is the workers’ unions under the Joint Health Workers’ Unions,JOHESU, in the hospital that are on strike but members of her union are not participating in it.
According to her,”JOHESU is actually on strike, but the nurses are not on strike. The nurses are currently working and are willing to work. We are seeing our patients as expected without any hitch. We were once members of JOHESU, but right now we have pulled out of JOHESU nationally”.
A visit to the various wards by the PinpointNews correspondent showed that nurses and doctors were on duty attending to patients without hitch.
Mrs Bamitale appealed to out-patients and other categories of people who are for one treatment or another not to hesitate to come to the hospital, stressing that the atmosphere is conducive and nurses are on ground to attend to them. “They should not feel that the hospital is not working.
Reacting to the situation,the Director,Nursing Services, Mrs Grace Olajide appealed to the striking workers to sheathe their swords in the interest of the patients and others who want to access treatment at the hospital.
She advised the unions to seek amicable resolution of whatever might have caused the industrial action. Mrs Olajide told the reporter that though the hospital was partially paralyzed, but the doctors and nurses are working. ” Patients are in their wards receiving treatment, and facilities to ensure that services are not crippled are functioning.
The management did not compromise the comfort and wellbeing of the patients.
