The Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, in Awka, has been forced to close operations after members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JUHESU), Amaku chapter, embarked on an indefinite strike.
The action followed the non-payment of the agreed salary increment for health workers in the institution.
Although doctors and nurses are still on duty, the withdrawal of services by allied medical workers has crippled activities across the hospital, leaving many patients unattended to.
Several patients in the wards lamented that while doctors and nurses were available, the absence of other health professionals meant they could not receive adequate care.
Striking workers were also seen going around the hospital to ensure strict compliance with the industrial action.
Attempts to reach the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Obidike, were unsuccessful, while the Chief Medical Director of the hospital was reportedly not on seat.
Chairman of JUHESU Amaku, Comrade Afam Kanayo Udozo, explained the frustration of the workers. According to him, the strike has rendered the hospital non-functional despite the presence of doctors and nurses.
“Doctors are working but since we are not working the hospital is dead,” he said.
Udozo noted that the dispute dates back to 2010 when the federal government approved separate salary structures for doctors and other health workers, the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for doctors and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for other health professionals.
“Our grouse is simple, in 2010 salary structures for the Medical Doctors and the health workers it called Consolidated Medical Salaries Structure CONMES,” he said.
“The rest is Consolidated Heath Salary Structure and the doctors salary scale was bigger but it is a team.”
He added that while doctors in Anambra have continued to enjoy improved wages and even recent increments, allied health workers have been left out.
“In 2010 the government gave the doctors their salary structure in 2014 the government increased their own but did not increase ours,” he lamented.
“So the gap increased and it was no longer fair.”
The JUHESU chairman recalled that despite several meetings with the state government through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and the Commissioner for Health, no concrete results were achieved.
“This strike about that COMHES in this Anambra state government has settled all Medical Doctors in Amaku hospital in the state and in the local government the latest model 2024 and they are going to pay them 100 percent and that is what they would be taking home,” he explained.
“Our Resident Doctors recently went on strike and the Government paid them everything including their school fees,” he added.
The workers are now demanding that the same principle be applied to them.
“We are asking for the implementation of our little increment here as you did to others,” Udozo insisted.
“We are not talking about the size of the Doctors but the little one that was approved for payment but they said no!”
“It is implemented in Amaku, sub-optimally but since they increased it in 2024 it is no longer the 90 percent increment,” he stressed.
According to him, the union had issued three separate ultimatums to the state government since December 2024, each time stepping back from strike action following assurances from officials.
“We gave government an ultimatum in December 2024 and we were to go on strike in January this year but the Secretary to the State Government called us for a meeting in his office and said please didn’t go on strike and let us talk about it and we agreed,” he explained.
“After that the meetings did not yield anything tangible and we issued another ultimatum and they called us again that we should not go on strike that they are working on it,” he added.
Frustration among members deepened as they accused their leaders of repeatedly backing down without results.
“At that point our members began to distrust us calling us ultimatum Chairmen and that we have compromised,” Udozo said.
He added: “We gave a third ultimatum and they came again pleading. The major demands out of the three demands is COMHES and other states have implemented it but not Anambra and we are poorest paid in the South East which is the flagship.”
“They approved two out of the three demands but not the flagship and the Commissioner for Health called us and pleaded for four weeks that Governor is going to do something about it. That four weeks ended last night yesterday and finally we have no choice after nine months later we are now are on strike.”
Despite the strike, Udozo said the union remains open to dialogue with the state government.
“However our phones are open and we are expecting calls from them but while we await their calls the strike remains indefinite,” he concluded.
