Health professionals under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) working in various health facilities owned by the Oyo state government on Monday, March 4, embarked on a 7-day warning strike.

The strike will involve laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, dental technologists, dental therapists, medical social workers, radiographers, nutritionists, dietitians, and health records and information managers in all general, state, and specialist/teaching hospitals throughout the state.

The practitioners include the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN); the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapists (NSP); the Association of Dental Technologists of Nigeria (ADTN) and the Nigerian Dental Therapists Association (NDTA).

Others are the Association of Medical Social Workers of Nigeria (AMSWON); Association of Radiographers of Nigeria (ARN); Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians (AND); Association of Health Records and Information Management Practitioners of Nigeria (AHRIMPN) and the Oyo State Association of Hospitals and Administrative Pharmacists (CSAHAP).

The workers said they decided on the warning strike due to the failure of the state government to exceed the demands which have been tabled before various government committees in over two years.

The ten-point demand put forward by the group and seeking urgent government intervention include: “Implementation of the new national hazard allowance for health professionals; implementation of teaching allowance for NUAHP members who are deeply involved in the training of interns and students on clinical and research postings; adjustment of CONHESS table for our members in the service of Oyo state as already implemented for medical doctors since 2021.”

The demands also include: “Urgent revamping and adequate funding of the state health facilities; release of promotion letters for qualified members who participated in the last promotion exercise in the state; skipping of CONHESS 10 on CONHESS salary table as applicable to Grade Level 11 (on GL Scale) as awarded by National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN); restoration of call duty allowance for dental therapists, recruitment of more health workers and professionals to include members of NUAHP to replace those who are retiring and those who left the service of the state, among other demands.

Addressing a press conference before declaring the strike at a Congress held Monday, NUAHP unit chairman, Comrade Olanrewaju Ajani, flanked by other others said the Union will no longer allow her members to be sidelined and treated as inconsequential in the scheme of things in the health sector in the state.

He said: “The Union will no longer look and allow her members to be sidelined, treated as inconsequential in the scheme of things in the health sector in the state.

“We therefore urge the government under the able leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde to urgently look into NUAHP members’ grievances.

“Our members are already pushed to the wall to have resorted to taking this step after exhausting all mechanisms to avoid a trade dispute.

“The 7-day ultimatum as indicated in our letter expired early hours of Monday, 4th March. We hereby direct all our members across all the hospitals and health facilities across the state to proceed on a 7-day warning strike from Monday 4th of March, 2024 till 11th March 2025 and if after the expiration, there is no feasible outcome, the Union will declare an indefinite strike afterwards.”