Abuja — Medical Workers' Union yesterday commenced a nationwide strike to protest alleged unfair treatment by the federal government.

The workers are protesting discriminatory salary scale released recently by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission which addressed only the concern of medical and dental practitioners leaving out other health workers.

The protesting unions are Medical Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), National Association of Nigerian Nurses (NANNM), Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI); Nigerian Union of Pharmacists, Medical Technologists and Professional Allied Medicine (NUPMTPAM), and Non-Academic Staff Associated Institutions (NASU).

In an interview with Daily Champion, chairman of Federal Area Council (FAC) of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Comrade Stephen Ibe said the development was vexations, unacceptable to the unions and smacked of apartheid.

He said: "In the hospital environment Hospital work is basically a team work and it does not start and end with the doctors.

"The federal government has decided to pick out the doctors and give them a special salary structure. We are not against this. But we are saying that since there are the professionals in the same hospital setting, they too should be given the same salary structure.

"Gone are the days when government would deceive us by promising to set up a committee to look into the matter. It will not work this time around; what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

"We are also saying that government must not release the circular until other professionals get their own salary structure".

Similarly, the national president of MHWUN, Comrade Wabba Ayuba said: "Healthcare service is an organic body and health professionals are supposed to work as a team and that is why over the year, government has always treated all the health workers equally with differential on grade levels that is based on expertise, knowledge and skill."

He said the unions rejected the over 77 per cent increment in doctors pay and the 25 per cent offered other health professionals.

"The government is also trying to introduce a dangerous precedent by making sure the disparity on basic salary is further widened." Ayuba added.

In Lagos, medical workers at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) nurses and pharmacists, and laboratory scientists, were seen in groups discussing the strike situation.

Inside the wards, majority of the patients were left unattended to with only a few doctors attending to some patients.

One of the doctors who spoke under the condition of anonymity told Daily Champion: "I do not think that the minister has taken a wrong decision in making the increment in the salary of the doctors bigger than others because if you look at it carefully, you will appreciate the fact that we doctors do so much work and we are the ones that carry out major surgeries. So the minister's gesture is just a way of appreciating our work".

However, LUTH's chairman of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) Dr. Charles Uzodinmma, said the situation was both very sad and unfortunate.

"This is unfortunate because this is the first time a salary scale table is released by the commission adding only the concern of only medical and dental practitioners. From Independence to date, circulars are always released to cater for all medical professionals equally in the health sector. Health care service is an organic body and health professionals are supposed to work as a team."

However, to ensure peace and that patients welfare was given priority LUTH's management board yesterday held an emergency meeting presided over by the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Akin Osibogun to resolve the strike.

It was resolved that the strike be called off till next week, when another meeting will hold in Abuja.