{"id":94957,"date":"2025-09-03T15:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T15:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=94957"},"modified":"2025-09-03T15:00:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T15:00:03","slug":"overworked-doctor-drops-dead-as-anambra-health-workers-set-for-strike-amid-growing-discontent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=94957","title":{"rendered":"Overworked doctor drops dead as Anambra health workers set for strike amid growing discontent"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Chuks Moses,<\/strong> Awka<\/p>\n

An overworked, young resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, RSUTH, Dr. Femi Rotiifah, has died after being on duty for 72-hours non-stop.<\/p>\n

His death and plight of other overworked medical staff has taken the centre-stage as health workers in Anambra State get primed to embark on a strike action from Thursday.<\/p>\n

The President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, Dr. Tope Osundara confirmed the tragedy.<\/p>\n

His words: \u201cWhat happened is that he was on call in the Emergency Room. Afterward, he went to the call room to rest, and it was there that he died. Unfortunately, he was the only one attending to the patient. The overuse of manpower strained his health and led to this painful death. It was a death on duty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, health-care delivery across Anambra State faces imminent disruption as nurses, laboratory scientists, pharmacists, and other allied health professionals under the state and local governments prepare to withdraw services starting Wednesday, September 4, 2025.<\/p>\n

The planned strike action, announced at a press conference in Awka, is being coordinated by key unions in the state’s organized health sector:
\n\u2022 The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM)
\n\u2022 The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN)
\n\u2022 The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP)<\/p>\n

Union leaders say the industrial action is the result of years of unfulfilled promises, delayed entitlements, and government inaction\u2014despite repeated ultimatums and efforts at dialogue.<\/p>\n

Frustration Reaches Breaking Point<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a strongly worded letter dated August 19, 2025, and addressed to Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, the unions expressed deep disappointment at what they described as the state government\u2019s \u201csilence, neglect, and misrepresentation\u201d of their demands.<\/p>\n

They accused some government aides of misleading the Governor by painting a false picture of stability in the health sector, despite the worsening conditions health workers face daily.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur plight has been muffled and ignored,\u201d the unions lamented. \u201cWe are not asking for special treatment, only for the same entitlements our colleagues enjoy in other states.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unless urgent steps are taken, the unions insist, a total strike will commence, shutting down hospitals and health centres across the state and all 21 LGAs.<\/p>\n

Demands: Clear, Lawful, and Long Overdue
\nThe unions argue that their demands are neither new nor excessive, but rather reflect federal government-approved standards already implemented in most Nigerian states.<\/p>\n

Their core demands include:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Full implementation of the CONHESS salary structure across state and LGA levels
\n\u2022 Adoption of the revised CONHESS scale with a 25% upward adjustment
\n\u2022 Payment of Rural Posting Allowances
\n\u2022 Enhanced call duty, shift, and hazard allowances
\n\u2022 Internship programs for graduates of Nursing Science and other health disciplines
\n\u2022 Immediate promotion exercises and settlement of promotion arrears in the Health Management Board (HMB) and COOUTH
\n\u2022 Recruitment of new health professionals to address staff shortages<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are lawful entitlements, not favours,\u201d said a union leader. \u201cAnambra cannot continue to treat health professionals as expendable, especially when other states within our region have moved ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Timeline of Broken Promises<\/strong><\/p>\n

Health workers say their grievances have been festering for years, worsened by what they describe as a pattern of official neglect:
\n\u2022 January 6, 2025: First 15-day ultimatum expired; dialogue opened but yielded no action.
\n\u2022 August 1\u201315, 2025: Second ultimatum met with what the unions called “shallow proposals” from the state.
\n\u2022 August 20, 2025: A final ultimatum gave the government until September 3 to respond.<\/p>\n

As of press time, no meaningful action has been taken, leading workers to conclude that the government has left them with no other option but industrial action.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe Are Not the Only Ones Who Will Suffer\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Union leaders were clear: the strike is not an empty threat.<\/p>\n

If no resolution is reached by Tuesday night, health facilities across the state\u2014including emergency, maternal, and outpatient services\u2014will shut down.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis action will affect not just us, but the entire population\u2014children, mothers, the elderly\u2014who depend on these services. The government must take responsibility,\u201d one representative stated.<\/p>\n

Brain Drain and System Collapse<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was learnt that the Anambra’s health sector has been plagued by a steady exodus of skilled workers due to poor pay and harsh conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cNurses work 24-hour shifts for peanuts. Lab scientists lack basic reagents. Midwives deliver babies without essential tools,\u201d said a senior health official.<\/p>\n

The consequence, he noted, is a \u201csystem on the brink of collapse\u201d\u2014with patients bearing the brunt.<\/p>\n

Government\u2019s Response: \u201cWe Have Invested Heavily\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In response, the Anambra State Government issued a statement through the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, reaffirming its commitment to health workers\u2019 welfare.<\/p>\n

The statement read: \u201cThe Soludo administration has not neglected health workers. Within two years, we have:
\n\u2013 Constructed and equipped five general hospitals and an ultra-modern trauma centre
\n\u2013 Recruited thousands of new health professionals
\n\u2013 Introduced telemedicine to bridge manpower gaps
\n\u2013 Approved performance-based incentives
\n\u2013 Implemented Grade Level 10 as entry point for Nursing Officers, a long-standing demand
\n\u2013 Commenced salary harmonization discussions based on economic realities\u201d
\nDr. Obidike also noted that another 1,000 health workers will be recruited shortly, and that Governor Soludo is the first governor since the state\u2019s creation to prioritize large-scale recruitment and infrastructure expansion in the health sector.<\/p>\n

Call for Dialogue Over Strike<\/strong><\/p>\n

While acknowledging the unions\u2019 right to agitate for better welfare, the government urged workers to reconsider the planned strike, describing it as counterproductive and harmful to patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government remains open to dialogue,\u201d Dr. Obidike said. \u201cWe believe constructive engagement, not industrial action, is the best way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the Health professionals insist that the crisis can still be averted\u2014if the state government acts swiftly and decisively.<\/p>\n

They urge:
\n\u2022 Immediate implementation of approved salary structures
\n\u2022 Settlement of outstanding arrears and promotions
\n\u2022 Recruitment of needed manpower
\n\u2022 Transparency and honest communication from government officials<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about the survival of healthcare in Anambra,\u201d one union representative said. \u201cWe have whispered, we have pleaded, we have waited. Now we raise our voices\u2014for ourselves, and for every citizen who needs care.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the September 4 deadline arrived, all eyes are on the Anambra State Government. With public health on the line, union leaders insist that only urgent action can prevent a full-scale healthcare crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe choice is no longer ours,\u201d they said. \u201cIt lies with Governor Soludo and his administration. Let no one say they were not warned.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Chuks Moses, Awka An overworked, young resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, RSUTH, Dr. Femi Rotiifah, has died after being on duty for 72-hours non-stop. His death and plight of other overworked medical staff has taken the centre-stage as health workers in Anambra State get primed to embark on a strike […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":94958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5773,7],"tags":[71,872,7288],"class_list":["post-94957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","category-news","tag-anambra","tag-doctor","tag-overwork"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/94958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}