BAYELSA: Health Professionals Protest Over Gov’t Insensitivity . . . Gives 14 Day Ultimatum
3 min read
by Oyagiri Chime-emele
A coalition of health professionals in Bayelsa State have staged a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the state government, stakeholders and the general public to its plight.
The protest which was held on Tuesday, October 17 saw members of the health profession in their numbers, blocked the Yenagoa-Mbiama Expressway, Ekeki Park axis.
Speaking to newsmen during the peaceful protest, the Secretary of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives ( NANNM) Nurse T. Tonubari Samuel, stated that the essence of the protest is to draw attention over issues that concern health workers in the state.
Nurse Samuel listed non implementation of the new hazard allowance, which a circular was issued since December 2021. He hinted that health workers in federal facilities had been paid accordingly.
He posited that states like Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, amongst others have received the said allowance in the country, frowned that Bayelsa chose to be among the few state that has not paid.
According to him: “The health workers in Bayelsa State are saying enough is enough”.
The NANNM scribe explained that the state governor, His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri has promised to pay the allowance during the last workers day, but wondered why the promise has not been fulfilled.
He called on the governor to fulfill his promises and pay the new hazard allowance accordingly.
Nurse Samuel further said that the non implementation of the revised ‘call duty’ allowance by the state government is another area in dispute. He said the circular directing the effect of payment was released as far back as 2014. An allowance, according to him; ‘the governor has failed to pay after many promises’.
“Health workers have been working all these while, those that work call duty, and they are not getting what their colleagues in other states are getting, they are not getting what their colleagues in Federal Health institutions are getting.
“So, is it that Bayelsa State nurses are second class citizens? Or Bayelsa health workers second class citizens? So, if other health workers in other states and Federal institutions are receiving this revised call duty allowance, Bayelsa health workers deserve it.
“The government should begin the process of payment of the new consolidated health salary structure of 2023.
“New entry point for graduate nurses has a circular in 2022, it has not been implemented in the state. Other states have implemented it, same with the Federal Health institutions. Pleads for its implementation.
“And also, Medical Laboratory Scientists and Pharmacists are not properly placed in the state. They should be properly placed and their entry point should be effected.
Also, speaking during the peaceful protest, the Secretary of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, Pharmacist Manovie Ambrose Elliot said the protest is to express the dissatisfaction of members of the health profession coalition.
He declared that his association totally align with the position of the nnamn scribe.
The Secretary of Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Bayelsa State branch, Zebedee Loveday, who described the protest as an expression of the sadness of the health professionals on various issues affecting them, said the governor may have good intensions for the workers, may have been sabotaged by aides or appointees that seem not to have reported appropriately to him.
He hinted that several efforts through letters to draw the attention of the governor to their plight had proved abortive. Lab Scientist Loveday explained that they had held meetings with the Deputy Governor and also Head of Service but succour has not still come.
The placards carried during the peaceful protest has some inscription like; “Bayelsa Health Workers are not second class citizens”, “Bayelsa State has money to pay its health workers”, “Gov. Diri, let health workers breathe “, “Bayelsa is rich to leave her health workers impoverished .”
