The Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC) chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives has joined the seven-day nationwide strike declared by the Association’s National Headquarters.

The chairman of the association, Lawrence Oyeniyi, disclosed this during an interview on Wednesday at the hospital complex in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Mr Oyeniyi stated that the warning strike aimed to draw the federal government’s attention to the challenges faced by nurses across the country.

According to him, nurses are frequently sidelined in the healthcare and decision-making process, which negatively impacts the quality-of-service delivery.

He also frowned at the current salary structure and allowances for nurses, describing them as inadequate.

Mr Oyeniyi noted that the last round of nurse recruitment at OAUTHC occurred in 2022, and the current workforce was overstretched.

He said, “Nurses are the largest workforce in the health sector and are always at the forefront, yet our welfare is constantly neglected by the government. The workload is overwhelming due to a shortage of staff. We appeal to the Federal Government to consider our demands and approve what is due to us.’’

Mr Oyeniyi warned that failure by the Federal Government to address their concerns within the seven-day warning strike period could result in an indefinite industrial action.

A patient in the hospital’s Orthopaedic Male Ward, Taiwo Adesanmi, also appealed to the Federal Government to meet the association’s demands, warning that the strike could cause significant hardship to patients if prolonged.

(NAN)