A nationwide disruption of health services is looming as the 15-day ultimatum by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) to the Federal Government expires on November 14.
JOHESU, which comprises the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals (SSAUTH), Research Institutes and Associated Institutions and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, represents over 85 percent of health workforce.
A strike by the group would cripple diagnostic, pharmaceutical and administrative services across public hospitals, forcing facilities to scale down or suspend operations.
Patients may face difficulties accessing essential services while maternal, child and emergency care may deteriorate significantly.
In a letter to the Ministers of Health and Labour by National Chairman Ado Kabiru and National Secretary Martins Egbanubi, JOHESU accused the government of failing to honour the Memorandum of Understanding signed on October 29, 2024.
The MoU, it said, promised the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) in line with doctors’ pay under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).
The union lamented that despite President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in 2023 and several conciliation meetings, “no progress has been made, largely due to the inactivity of the Presidential Committee on Salaries since August 2023.”
It also decried alleged discriminatory treatment at a recent tripartite meeting chaired by the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, claiming its representatives were denied the chance to present their case.
Accusing the government of insensitivity, JOHESU warned it would have “no option but to resume its suspended strike of October 30, 2024, if the issues remain unresolved.”
The warning follows similar concerns raised by the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), which at its 51st National Executive Council meeting in Abuja warned that Nigeria’s health system is “on the brink of collapse” unless urgent steps are taken to address brain drain, insecurity, and chronic underfunding.
In a communiqué by MHWUN President Dr. Kabiru Sani and Secretary-General Auwalu Kiyawa, the NEC described Nigeria’s health system as “far from the sector of our dream,” citing poor infrastructure, inadequate personnel, and low public investment.
It urged the Federal Government to “prioritize workers’ welfare and commit more resources to strengthen the system.”
The union lamented worsening inflation and economic hardship that have eroded workers’ purchasing power and called for policies that reduce reliance on imports.
It warned that the mass exodus of health professionals has crippled care delivery, with over 60,000 nurses and 19,000 doctors leaving Nigeria in the last two decades.
Sani described the migration as “a rational response to a system that fails to reward diligence or guarantee dignity,” urging the government to create incentives that make working in Nigeria worthwhile.
He condemned government’s failure to meet the 15 percent health budget target of the 2001 Abuja Declaration, calling it “unacceptable.”
The NEC also cited insecurity, displacement, and climate impacts as threats to national stability, urging the government to declare a national emergency on flooding, food shortages, and disease outbreaks.
On internal matters, Sani announced that the union had implemented a ₦70,000 minimum wage for its staff, cleared deduction arrears, and ensured pension payments.
“A sustainable health system must be built on respect for collective agreements,” Sani stressed, warning that neglecting signed pacts undermines industrial peace.
In his remarks at the meeting, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero blamed the crisis on policies that prioritize profit over people.
“Our health sector continues to bleed because the government prefers to die abroad rather than fix the system here,” he said.
Ajaero urged MHWUN to rally all health unions under JOHESU for stronger collective action,” insisting that only radical and organized mobilization can save the sector.
He also called for greater worker participation in politics ahead of 2027, warning, “Without labour’s influence in policymaking, the cycle of decay will continue.”
