The one year and one month old strike embarked upon by health workers in Rivers State has been called off.
The strike was occasioned by the refusal of the immediate past Rotimi Amaechi’s administration to pay health workers’ salaries and other entitlements and his total neglect of the health sector, which residents claim had impacted negatively on the state as most people who could not afford to foot their bills in private hospitals were abandoned to their fate.
The situation was festered when Klinton Health Initiative and UNFPA threatened to pull out of the State .This would have spelt doom for the health sector in the state and the masses.
Subsequently, State Governor Nyesom Wike mandated his deputy, Dr(Mrs.) Ipalibo Banigo , the permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and the Rivers State primary Health Management Board to liaise with the striking health workers on the resolution of the logjam.
After a series of meetings with the Rivers State government, an accommodation was reached and the health workers who were satisfied with the intervention of the government, called off the strike yesterday.
Reacting, the workers praised Governor Wike for being sensitive to their plight.
The deputy governor was not left out as she was also praised for her tact and understanding of their problems. The governor, who spoke through his deputy, said the health and safety of the people are crucial to him and promised to provide the necessary tools and environment for effective health care delivery.
