Demand our rights, stop playing Politics, Anambra Nurses tells Professional Body

Some of the nurses

Reuben Ibeh

Awka

 Nurses working under the employ of the Anambra State Government have called out the leadership of the State Chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses And Midwives (NANNM) for not living up to their responsibilities in demanding their deserved work remuneration and benefits from the state government.

Many of the aggrieved nurses had over the weekend, besieged the Nurses House in Awka, to accost the leadership of the Association on why it has been difficult for the state to implement the new salary structure of 125 percent CONHESS for nurses approved by the Federal Government and already being implemented in some states.

They are also questioning why a 15-day ultimatum handed to the state government in December 2024, over the poor welfare of the nurses, was shifted to an indefinite date by the association.

It was gathered that some of the aggrieved nurses had been on the same level without promotion for as long as 13 years, despite their very crucial role in the healthcare system in the state, as well as the harsh economic situation in the country.

Some of the nurses who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said they approached the state NANNM leadership to demand answers as to why they have been adamant about their plight, especially the non-implementation of neither the initial 100 percent CONHESS nor the newly approved 125 percent.

They regretted that most of the allowances under the structure were not being paid, despite the grave dangers they faced daily in the discharge of their duties. 

“The reason why we are here is that for years now, nurses have been internally complaining

There is what we call CONHESS, a salary structure approved by the Federal Government for the payment of nurses. Many states have implemented it but Anambra has not.

It is called 100 percent CONHESS and later they added 25 percent, making it 125 percent CONHESS, yet Anambra has not implemented any of the structure. 

“Inside this salary structure, we have allowances such as shift duty, teaching, hazard, rural posting allowances and many others but they are not being implemented. 

“For instance, we have a hazard allowance of N30,000 and above but Anambra state is paying only N3,000. Imagine!” they lamented.

The nurses also noted that in most public health facilities, there is enough evidence to show that nurses are the ones taking full responsibility of the day-to-day operation, while other health professionals who ought to be on duty are always absent.

They lamented that they are usually exposed to risks at night when they are alone on duty, without even the security personnel. 

“We know that health service is a teamwork. The doctors, the nurses, the lab scientist, the health attendant, the security man, all of them are supposed to be on call. But evidence shows that it is only the nurses who are always on night shift. 

“We have met with the union and written severally to both the state and national NAMN and that was what prompted the 15-day ultimatum they gave the government in December 2024. 

“After the ultimatum, we expected a positive result or a strike, nothing. We also waited to hear from them, but nothing. Only for us to hear from them that they have a second ultimatum, which has no stipulated date for the elapse of the ultimatum.

“So, all these are the reasons why we are here to see the NANM chairman because these things are our rights and it is the responsibility of our union to agitate for our rights but it appears they are not doing so,” they said.

Some staff nurses, who have been on the same level for over 13 years without promotion, lamented that there were no deliberate efforts to review their condition, accusing the union and the government of toying with their wellbeing.

They regretted that instead of the government addressing their complaints, it would threaten to replace them with sack or redeployment to remote areas or deploy other forms of victimization.

“Some of us have not been promoted because we are single-qualified. By this, they mean that we are either registered nurses or registered midwives, placing us on grade level 7 on employment. 

“So, because we are not double-qualified, that is nurses and midwives, we are placed on that grade level, with no promotion, neither are we given the opportunity to acquire further certificates that will enable them to get promoted. This is because the peanuts we are paid, are not enough to support us go for further education,” they lamented.

The nurses insisted that while they are ever ready to continue to give their best in the service of Anambra people, it has become imperative for the Anambra State Government to ensure that the due CONHESS is paid to them, and that the nurses are promoted accordingly, in line with the Civil Service Act.

However, when our correspondent reached out to the State NANNM Chairperson, Mrs Edith Onwuka over the allegations, she denied that the association has not abandoned the nurses to their fate.

She explained that the ultimatum was shelved to give room for negotiations between the association and the government, revealing that after the initial ultimatum, the government invited them to a discussion with the Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike.

Onwuka noted that in industrial disputes, “you don’t jump one directive to go into another one.

Now government has given us the room to discuss and negotiate. If we disregard the discussion with the government that employed us and continue with the strike, the strike action cannot be fruitful.

“I have tried to explain to the nurses, that even I myself is impacted by the poor condition that they are crying for, because I also work for the government. 

“So it is a gradual process and as long as the government is willing to meet us at the negotiation table, then we should explore that option.”

Maintaining that strike is the last option when every other measure has failed, Onwuka noted that nurses are not the only ones affected, adding that all the health workers including pharmacists and lab scientists were also affected and are negotiating.

Acknowledging that many nurses in the state have stagnated as a result of their qualification, the Anambra NANNM Chairman, however, explained that the issue is a matter of Scheme of Service.

“I have also advised the nurses to advance their education and qualify as double-qualified personnel so that they are not stagnated because it is a matter of Scheme of Service. 

“The Union can only lobby for the scheme to be reviewed. It is the National Council on Establishment that produces the Scheme of Service and there is a process for its review,” she said.