No fewer than two people have reportedly died at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State, since members of the Joint Health Sector Unions commenced their warning strike.
Our correspondent gathered on Friday that an official in UITH's Accounts Department identified simply as Haruna and a woman whose family asked not to be named, had died at the hospital.
Haruna was said to have been on admission before the strike but reportedly died after nurses, who were retained by the union closed for the day. The source said though the doctors tried their best, they could not do much to save him.
The women, it was gathered, had been on admission since about two months but could not get enough attention from the striking health workers.
The Chairman, JOHESU, UITH Chapter, Mr. Olutunde Oluwumi, during a media briefing in Ilorin, the capital, accused the Federal Government of not being sincere and serious with the negotiation between them and JOHESU.
He said it was regrettable that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, reportedly described JOHESU as an illegal body, adding that all the affiliate unions of JOHESU as well as the organisation itself were duly registered.
According to him, JOHESU comprised Senior Staff Association, Non-Academic Staff Union; Medical and Health Workers Union; National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, and Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals.
He stated that the warning strike though painful, became necessary when the unions were asked to make fresh submission during its meeting with the Federal Government on June 21, 2016.
Oluwumi said some of the contentious local issues included non-payment of promotion arrears from 2009 till date; non-payment of skilling arrears for three years and removal of teaching allowance despite its alleged collection from the government.
He added that other issues pertained to the non-payment of uniform allowance to nurses and alleged refusal to conduct 2016 promotion to avoid accumulation of arrears.
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