Members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) yesterday commenced a nationwide strike called by their national executive and paralysed activities in federal public hospitals across the country over the non-payment of COVID-19 hazard allowance, among other welfare benefits allegedly promised by the Federal Government.

It was gathered that JOHESU members have grounded medical activities at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Recall that the union had earlier held a congress on the premises of the FMC, where members lamented about the infrastructural decay in various government hospitals across the country.

According to the Chairman of the Senior Staff Association at the FMC, Bashir Ayobamiji-Obabiyi, said, “We went on strike two years ago on this same issue. To our dismay, the Federal Government withheld two months’ salary, April and May, because we went on strike.

“But about two or three times, medical doctors have proceeded on strike and their salaries were paid, which is a high level of injustice in the system.”

The branch Chairman of JOHESU at the Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Mrs Jayeola Thomas, said members of the union were on duty because the industrial action only affected their counterparts at federal health institutions.

In Lagos, activities were put on hold at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba; Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta; and the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi. Although doctors were seen attending to patients on emergency at the hospitals, JOHESU members shunned work.

At the NOHIL, an official, who spoke anonymously, said the impact of strike was being felt as he explained: “Although, doctors are not on strike, who will check the files of those who have been given an appointment? The engineering department can decide not to switch on the generators if there is no power supply. We really hope that the strike will be called off soon.”

At the FMC, only emergency situations were being attended to by the hospital and according to a source, lot of patients were sent back home as there were no workers to check for their files.

However, similar stories are being told across the various states in the country.