Chinedum Treasure
Nurses in Anambra State, under the umbrella of National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) have raised the alarm over poor working conditions in government owned health institutions in the state.
The nurses made the lamentation at their residential quarters known as Nurses House, Okpuno, during an interactive forum to interact with their state leadership, who they charged to take their message to the state government.
Addressing state chairperson of NANNM, Mrs Edith Onwuka on Friday, the nurses who took turns to bare their minds on challenges they face in line of duties, complained amongst other things, poor implementation of their salary structure, which is known as CONHESS.
They claimed their pay remained the least in all the neighbouring states.
They said: “We have never been paid more than 60 percent of our salary, even with the current minimum wage increment.
“Some of us work in hospitals with over 80 patients in a ward originally meant for 20 bed space, making it so difficult for the health workers to operate in such an environment.
“Till date, our hazard allowance still remains N3,000, as against N30,000 that’s the statutory amount supposed to be paid.”
The group begged government, through the Commissioner for Health to listen to their cry and come to their rescue as their bizarre working conditions keep getting worse by the day.
Responding, tate chairperson of NANNM, Onwuka assured the nurses that the leadership would reach the state government to resolve all pending issues.
She called on members of the group to exercise patience, saying a meeting had been fixed with the relevant authorities, expressing optimism that their agitations would be looked into.
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