Management of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, has criticised the ongoing strike by the local chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), saying it remains resolute in its commitment to patient care despite the industrial action.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the hospital’s Head of Information and Protocol, Malam Usman Toma Haruna, the management said the foremost responsibility of medical professionals is to save lives, stressing that the strike action has put vulnerable patients at risk.
“The primary responsibility of any medical professional is to save lives, but NANNM officials, by their conduct, have shown that their welfare is more paramount than ethics,” the statement read.
The hospital noted that the NANNM local chapter embarked on the strike over alleged stagnation and non-promotion of some of its members.
According to the management, the hospital’s Top Management Committee (TMC) held two separate meetings with union leaders prior to the strike in a bid to resolve the matter.
The TMC, it said, explained that the issue of promotion is an establishment matter beyond the hospital’s direct control.
“The TMC told them that the hospital currently does not have a governing board, and that the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the Office of the Head of Service, is statutorily responsible for addressing such issues,” the statement added.
It said appeals to the union to suspend the strike in the interest of patients were unsuccessful.
To prevent a total shutdown of services, the Medical Director, Prof. Aishatu Yushau Armiyau, reportedly made contingency arrangements to ensure that critical units, particularly the dialysis centre serving infectious disease patients across Kaduna State and neighbouring states, remained operational.
The management alleged that some union officials attempted to frustrate the temporary measures by threatening nurses who volunteered to continue working.
“NANNM officials tried to sabotage the temporary arrangement by threatening the nurses to abandon their duty posts. However, the patriotic nurses stood their ground and continued to render services to patients,” the statement said.
It further alleged that the state leadership of the union entered the hospital premises to address a press conference, describing the action as trespass aimed at disrupting services.
While acknowledging the right of workers to embark on industrial action in line with due process, the hospital management maintained that threatening willing staff and disrupting essential services was unacceptable.
“Much as it is the right of NANNM officials to go on strike to press for their members’ demands, it is wrong to threaten nurses who volunteered to work and save lives,” the statement added.
The management reiterated its openness to dialogue but emphasised that it would not compromise its responsibility to provide care to patients who have limited alternatives for specialised mental health services.
