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Health workers in Nasarawa State, including doctors
at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital have suspended their four-month
old strike following an appeal by the state’s governor-elect, Umaru
Tanko Al-Makura.

The health workers, who are under the aegis of
Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Medical and Health Workers Union of
Nigeria and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, had
embarked on an indefinite strike in order to force the state government
to implement the new salary structure approved by the federal
government for health professionals.

The workers said their colleagues in other states
have started benefiting from the new wage structure, wondering why the
state government was unwilling to follow suit. As a result of the
strike, activities in most of the state’s hospitals were paralysed over
the past four months. Majority of the residents also resorted to
alternative health providers because of complaints that the fees
charged by private hospitals were prohibitive.

This is said to be one of the reasons why the state
governor, Aliyu Doma of the Peoples Democratic Party lost to his
opponent, Mr Al-Makura of the Congress for Progressive Change. The
governor-elect, during his acceptance speech, appealed to the health
workers to return to their various posts and promised that he would do
everything possible to meet their demands.

Mr Al-Makura, yesterday thanked the health workers for returning to work.

“We extend our gratitude to you for heeding our
appeal to discountenance the recalcitrant posture of the out-going
administration by suspending your protracted strike action,” he said.
“Your prompt response to our clarion call is a testimony of your
responsiveness and desire to contribute to the enthronement of a new
social vista in Nasarawa State.”

Rescue from despair

The governor-elect further assured the workers that
they, and indeed all workers and people of the state, will not be
subjected to rejection by his administration. “Never again will you and
the people of Nasarawa State, be watched as you suffer in silence
before your leaders,” he said.

He also assured workers in the state of his
commitment to their welfare, pledging to rescue them (workers) “from
the throes of despair and agony into a life of hope, fulfilment and
relief.”

The workers reached the agreement to suspend the
strike at an emergency meeting held in Lafia last Sunday. The state NMA
chairman and secretary, Clement Onwube and Musa Abdullahi, directed all
the health workers to resume work on Tuesday.

“Consequent on the passionate appeal by the Nasarawa
State governor-elect, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura to doctors to suspend the
on-going strike action on the premise that our demands will be
expeditiously attended to on assumption of office,” the men said. “That
considering the attendant effects of the strike action on the good
people of Nasarawa State as well as the passionate appeal of the
general public.

“We, hereby, suspend the four-month old strike with effect from 8am
on Tuesday, May 2011 and all our members are hereby directed to resume
work in their various locations on the said date.”