Patients, relatives suffer in Lagos as health workers’ strike enters second month

The ongoing strike by health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) in Lagos State continues to disrupt healthcare delivery across public hospitals, forcing patients to seek services outside government facilities and placing extra pressure on the available doctors and nurses.

PREMIUM TIMES’ visits to major public hospitals across Lagos on Tuesday showed that the strike has reduced manpower, shut down departments and increased pressure on patients and facilities.

Although emergency care and clinical consultations are still ongoing in many facilities, the withdrawal of non-clinical health workers has crippled essential services, including administration, pharmacies, laboratories, and medical records.

This has resulted in delays, overcrowding and higher out-of-pocket costs for patients.

JOHESU represents pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, health information managers, physiotherapists, radiographers, engineers, cleaners and other support staff.

According to the Secretary of the JOHESU Lagos Council, Adegboyega Kabiawu, members of the union make up about 85 per cent of the health workforce, leaving doctors and nurses to operate with limited institutional support.

Mr Kabiawu said the scale of the union’s membership explains why the over two-month strike has had a widespread impact across primary, secondary, and tertiary health facilities in the state.

Overstretched emergency units

At the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, the impact of reduced manpower was evident in the medical emergency unit. While doctors and nurses were on duty, the number of patients far exceeded the available staff.

Elizabeth Bayo, a relative of one of the patients receiving emergency care, said the strike is putting pressure on the available doctors and patients.

“The doctors and nurses are available, but the strike is really felt,” she said. “There are fewer people working, yet patients keep coming in. You can see how overwhelmed they are.”

Outside the emergency unit, a distressed couple was seen leaving the hospital after being told there was no available bed space. Their teenage daughter had been referred from the Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital for a blood transfusion, but could not be admitted.

The parents said they were reluctant to try the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, for fear of facing similar challenges. With limited options, they said they would have to check for a private hospital immediately, regardless of the cost.

Inside the facility, waiting areas were filled with patients, many of whom were advised to seek pharmacy and laboratory services outside the hospital.

Record-keeping breaks down

At the General Hospital, Ifako-Ijaiye, the effects of the strike were most evident at the Health Information Unit, which has remained shut since the industrial action began. The unit is responsible for managing patient records and data.

A pregnant woman receiving antenatal care, who identified herself simply as Zainab, said patients had been asked to improvise by using exercise books to record their details.

“For weeks now, we have been told to buy exercise books and write our names there,” she said. “That is what we now take to the doctors. The e-system and other records are on hold.”

She added that the process had been stressful, as patients often had to search through several books to locate their records.

“My next appointment is in February. I hope they resume before then,” she said.

A nurse at LASUTH, who requested anonymity, confirmed that similar measures had been adopted due to the absence of key support staff.

“The JOHESU strike affects administration, cleaning, pharmacy and laboratory services mainly,” the source said. “Opening folders and accessing records have not been easy. At some point, even the medical emergency unit had to start using exercise books.”

The source added that although some administrative staff could be seen around the main records complex, retrieving patient files remained a significant challenge.

At the hospital’s laboratory, the reception area was quiet, with no activity at the time of the visit.

Patients forced outside hospital walls

At the Alimosho General Hospital, Igando, pharmacies and laboratories remained shut as the strike continued. Patients seeking medications were directed outside the hospital premises.

“They are on strike,” a security officer said. “You will have to get the drugs outside.”The officer added that a private clinic within the hospital compound was handling medical tests.

Patients said the shutdown of hospital pharmacies had increased their financial burden.“They are on strike, so we are getting the drugs outside,” said Chioma, who accompanied her mother to the General Outpatient Department.

An elderly patient, who identified herself as Mummy David, said the industrial action has meant paying consistently higher prices for medication.

“For over one month now, I have been buying my drugs outside,” she said. “The hospital prices are usually lower than what they sell outside.”

Union cites unresolved local demands

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, Mr Kabiawu said the Lagos strike is driven by long-standing local demands that remain unresolved despite previous engagements with the state government.

He said the action followed a mandatory 15-day notice, after which members went on strike on 3 December.

“Before the strike, the government created the impression that it was dialoguing with us,” he said. “But after the strike commenced, there was no further engagement.”

Although triggered by a national directive, Mr Kabiawu said the Lagos chapter used the opportunity to push state-specific issues that had been left unattended for years.

At the national level, JOHESU’s demand is the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), which the union said has not been reviewed since its introduction in 2009, unlike the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), which has been adjusted three times.

In Lagos, the union stated that it had tabled five key local demands, including the domestication of the consultancy pharmacist cadre, following a federal circular issued in 2020.

It said the policy was earlier domesticated by the state in 2018 but later suspended following opposition from medical doctors, despite its implementation in federal health institutions within Lagos.

Other demands include the establishment of a Directorate of Medical Laboratory Services, the equitable implementation of retention allowances, the correction of alleged errors in call-duty and shift-duty allowances, and improved staff transportation.

According to the union, while the health sector previously had about 10 staff buses across public facilities, only one remains operational.

“The health sector cannot be expected to run early and close late with only one bus,” Mr Kabiawu said.

He said the union is open to suspending the strike if the Lagos State Government issues a concrete memorandum of understanding detailing implementation timelines for the demands.

READ ALSO: Agony as patients, workers struggle for water at LASUTH

Government says dialogue ongoing

Earlier on Sunday, the Lagos State Government said it was intensifying efforts to resolve the dispute.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board, Ibrahim Mustafa, said the government recognises the disruption caused by the strike and is prioritising dialogue.

According to Mr Mustafa, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu remains personally committed to resolving the impasse and restoring industrial harmony in the health sector.

“Some of the demands are not purely financial,” Mr Mustafa said. “They require technical and administrative inputs.”

However, Mr Kabiawu said the union had yet to receive a formal invitation for talks. He expressed surprise that the dispute had been allowed to linger.

Commenting on the federal government’s ‘no work, no pay’ directive, Mr Kabiawu said it fell within labour law provisions. He said members were prepared to endure hardship while pursuing what he described as their lawful rights.

Mr Kabiawu cautioned the Lagos State Government against adopting the same policy, warning it could worsen the dispute.