By Hajara Leman
Gombe – Dr Abubakar Sa’idu, Chief Medical Director (CMD), Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, says in spite of the strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) nationwide, the hospital will run normal services.
The CMD said this in Gombe on Wednesday while addressing newsmen on the hospital’s stand following the commencement of JOHESU strike on Wednesday afternoon.
He said the hospital would utilise the services of contract staff, Non-Governmental Organisations, the Nation Youth Service members and volunteers to attend to patients.
“It is unfortunate the service will break down and patients will be at the receiving end.
“But we will try everything humanly possible to see that we run all the required services,” he said.
According to him, those on admission will be taken care of and outpatients will receive the required attention.
He expressed hope that the Federal Government would address the plight of JOHESU so that they would call off the strike on time.
Also, Malam Idris Bello, Public Relations Officer, FTH, said JOHESU had joined the indefinite strike on Wednesday as directed by the National Secretariat.
He said the decision was informed by the Federal Government’s inability to address the union’s pending issue on Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) adjustment and payment of areas of CONHESS 10 SKIPPING.
According to Bello, the union is supposed to embark on nationwide strike on Sept. 30, 2017 but suspended it after “signing a Memorandum of terms of settlement meant to be implemented within five weeks after the date of suspension of strike but Federal Government failed on its part of the agreement’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that patients were seen in the wards while there were only few outpatients at the Accident and Emergency Unit .(NAN)