Health workers in the area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, currently on strike, have agreed to allow their members to participate in the polio immunisation exercise scheduled for May.
The FCT chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, and the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, MHWUN, announced the decision in Abuja on Friday.
Jama Medan, chairman of NANNM, FCT, who spoke on behalf of the unions, added that health workers involved in the exercise would be permitted to take part.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the unions have shut down Primary Healthcare Centres across the six area councils of the FCT.
The strike is in demand for the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage and the payment of outstanding arrears and allowances.
Medan, however, told NAN that the strike by Primary Health Care workers across the six area councils was still ongoing.
He explained that the workers would be permitted to participate in the 10-day exercise, while also granting access to the immunisation materials and cold chain equipment in the primary healthcare facilities.
“We agreed that all our members who may be needed for the vaccination exercise should come out to implement the vaccination.
“Secondly, we will also allow access to the health facilities where the cold rooms and the immunisation materials are located. We are given 10 days for the exercise.
“However, we did not call off the strike, and we are not allowing any of our members to carry out any other duty other than the polio vaccination.
“Any health worker going to do any [other] work in the PHCs is not allowed,” he said.
The chairman said that the decision was made to ensure innocent children do not become victims of circumstance, noting that if children in the FCT missed the polio immunisation, some may likely contract the virus.
