The House of Representatives Committee on Labour, Employment, and Productivity has urged Nigerian nurses and midwives to call off their ongoing statewide strike.
It described the strike as a disruption to healthcare services throughout the country.
The Committee Chairman, Asiwaju Adegboyega Adefarati, issued and signed a statement recognising nurses and midwives’ essential contributions to the country’s healthcare delivery system.
Adefarati encouraged the nurses to consider the overall national interest of the public. At “this critical period of our nation’s economic transformation, it is imperative that we prioritise the collective interests of all Nigerians.
“The House Committee deeply empathises with Nigerian nurses and midwives over their service concerns and acknowledges their vital roles in safeguarding the health and well-being of our citizens.”
The Committee, on the other hand, expressed worry that the strike is taking place at a time when the country is trying to emerge from an economic downturn and warned that the industrial action is putting further strain on the already fragile health sector.
According to the committee” The ongoing nationwide strike has significantly disrupted healthcare services across the country, further straining our health sector.
“While we recognise the importance of addressing the legitimate grievances of our health professionals, we urge the leadership of the Nigerian Nurses and Midwives to consider the aggregate interest of all Nigerians.
“The Minister of Labour and the Minister of Health are actively engaging in dialogue with the leadership of the nurses and midwives to resolve these issues amicably.
“We call on the leadership of Nigerian nurses and midwives to embrace this opportunity for dialogue and to consider calling off the strike, in the spirit of patriotism and commitment to national development.
“We believe that through constructive engagement and mutual understanding, we can achieve balanced outcomes that respect the needs of our health workers while safeguarding the health rights and well-being of all Nigerians.
”We appeal to the leadership of the Nigerian Nurses and Midwives to show leadership and patriotism by suspending the strike, as we work together to restore full healthcare services for our citizens.
It expressed hope that through constructive discussion and mutual understanding, a balanced solution that addresses the needs of health professionals while also protecting Nigerians’ healthcare rights might be accomplished.
Adefarati appealed to the union to “show leadership and patriotism by suspending the strike as we work together to restore full healthcare services for our citizens.”
