On Wednesday, nurses at the Federal Medical Centre in Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State, demonstrated over their purported exclusion from the institution’s 2023 promotion process.
The nurses, who are affiliated with the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, also voiced their dissatisfaction with the hospital’s management, requesting that their rights about staff shortages, promotion arrears, and other matters be addressed. They also described their working conditions as severe.
Wednesday’s demonstration, which PUNCH Healthwise was watching, took place on the hospital’s grounds.
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The irate employees were observed peacefully singing and holding signs across the property.
“Stop selective promotion,” “Nurses workload is enough for promotion,” “Nurses’ lives matter,” “Give us our promotion,” “Healthy workplace, healing spaces, nurses demand both,” and “Improve nurses’ working environment” are a few of the banners that were shown.
Speaking with our correspondent, Olufimilola Adekunle, the chairman of the FMC Abeokuta branch of NANNM, explained that the purpose of the demonstration was to obtain the promotional examination papers, which the hospital claimed the nurses had failed.
Adekunle bemoaned the fact that the hospital is severely short-staffed, leaving many of its nurses overworked and fatigued.
“We really, really are tired.” We used to work three shifts, but due to a scarcity, we are only able to work two shifts.
“We have repeatedly written to management asking for compensation for the lengthy hours we are working, but we have received no response.
“This promotion was the only benefit we received from this management, and our members are no longer recipients of it. She persisted, “They said we failed, we want to see the script.”
In response to the demonstration, the hospital’s head of clinical services, Dr. Kunle Adediran, informed our correspondent that the Federal Ministry of Health made the decision on the promotion, therefore it was not within the management’s jurisdiction.
Nonetheless, he pledged that the hospital would write to the federal government to examine a few of the choices and to address other concerns brought forth by the nurses.