By Kazeem Waris
Healthcare delivery in Katsina State could be disrupted as health workers have declared a seven-day warning strike over unresolved welfare and professional demands, with the action coming amid an ongoing diphtheria outbreak in the state.
The Assembly of Health Care Professionals in Katsina State said the strike would commence at midnight on Tuesday, September 8, following the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum issued to the state government.
The action involves members of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria and the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria.
The workers said they were compelled to embark on the warning strike after what they described as inadequate commitment by the state government towards resolving their longstanding demands.
Among their demands is the implementation of the 100 per cent Consolidated Health Salary Structure, CONHESS, applicable in federal health institutions.
They are also demanding the implementation of the skipping of CONHESS 10, an increase in the 10 per cent hazard allowance, as well as improved call-duty, shift-duty, clinical, rural and specialist allowances.
Nurses are additionally demanding an increase in their uniform allowance to ₦80,000.
Chairman of the Assembly of Health Care Professionals in Katsina State, Ibrahim Balange, said the unions had held several meetings with the government but had yet to see satisfactory action on the issues.
Balange said the workers had exhausted available avenues for an amicable resolution, leaving the unions with no option but to commence the warning strike.
He warned that the seven-day action could be followed by an indefinite strike if the government failed to address the demands before the expiration of the warning period.
The planned industrial action is raising concern because Katsina is currently responding to a diphtheria outbreak, with suspected cases reported across several local government areas.
Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection that can cause severe breathing difficulties and other life-threatening complications, making timely access to healthcare and public health interventions critical during an outbreak.
A disruption in services could therefore further strain health facilities and create difficulties for residents seeking routine, emergency and outbreak-related care.
The health workers appealed to members of the public to understand their position, while urging the state government to resolve the dispute before the strike begins.
The development puts additional pressure on the Katsina State Government to reach an agreement with the health workers and avert an escalation that could further disrupt healthcare delivery, particularly at a time when the state is battling a disease outbreak.
With the warning strike scheduled to begin on September 8, attention is now focused on whether negotiations between the government and the unions will produce a resolution before health services are affected.
