Wednesday, 20 July 2016

Why we embarked on strike – LUTH nurses

There seem to be no end soon for a truce between the striking nurses at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and the management of the institution.
At a meeting on Wednesday called by the State chapter of the Nigerian Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) with the striking nurses, the State NANNM Chairman, Comrade Olurotimi Awojide said he has been reliably informed that the LUTH management may not be able to hold any meeting with the executives of Lagos NANNM because the Chief Medical Director (CMD) Prof Chris Bode and some of the hospital’s top management officials have travelled.
Comrade Awojide said the hospital should watch it because some other members of the association are watching with keen interest what is unfolding at LUTH, hence the Psychiatry Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta has commenced on a strike for similar demands.

He explained that LUTH management should understand the nifty gritty of Civil Service Commission, especially as it relates with engagement/employment and promotion.
Comrade Awojide said it is an embarrassment for a  54 year old tertiary institution not to have regular supply of water and light. “These are very important to any hospital environment. And you know the importance of water in prevention of spread of infections, as witnessed during the Ebola outbreak. It is highly important for the safety of patient and staff, especially nurses. Nurses use their personal money to purchase consumables such as gloves, syringes o attend to patients, either because they are not enough or totally unavailable. That is how bad the whole system is, here at LUTH. Allowances for nurses are not paid, for instance, teaching allowance and uniform allowance. The annoying part is that professionals that are not captured or entitled when the circular was being presented are being paid, thereby robbing legitimate professionals like nurses from being paid, for example administrative officer collecting teaching allowance. We are not asking the management to stop that, but to give us our legitimate due.”
On the issue of promotion of nurses without First degree, as maintained by the hospital, Comrade Awojide explained, “Nurses that are at Assistant Chief Nursing officer post awaiting promotion to the position of Chief Nursing officer are already on CONHESS 12, and LUTH management is still ‘promoting’ them to CONHESS 12, By saying CONHESS 13 is for Assistant Director. That is wrong. We gave the Management the necessary papers/document to support what is right and for simpler understanding, to no avail. Chief Nursing Officer is on CONHESS 13, the Directorate cadre starts from CONHESS 14 and above. So promotion starts from CONHESS 12 to 13 as Chief Nursing officer. That is what obtains among other federal health hospitals, so why should LUTH be any different? We brought copies of promotion letters from other hospitals to convince the LUTH management to no avail.
“In the Scheme of Service for Civil service of the Federation, when nurses are employed, they start on Level 7 which is equivalent to CONHESS 6 with their single qualification. Followed by Nursing Sister Grade level 6, CONHESS 7, Senior Nursing Sister Grade level 9, CONHESS 8, Senior principal Nursing officer on Grade Level 10 CONHESS 9. There is nothing like Grade 11. Once on Grace 10, one moves to Level 12. We were at Industrial High Court on Skipping and CONHESS and we won. The Court wrote the Ministry of Health that the Skipping is legal, that it means automatic moving from 10 to 12. The equivalent of 11 under CONHESS is CONHESS 10. Meaning that nurses will move from CONHESS 9 to 11.”



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