COVID-19: Lalong Secures Accommodation For JUTH Nurses After Protest

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Plateau State Governor Barr. Simon Lalong has provided comfortable accommodation to the nurses of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) who are working at the isolation centre.

 

It would be recalled that the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), JUTH Chapter, had ordered its members working at the hospital’s isolation centre to sit at home for lack of accomdation and government’s negligence of their welfare.

 

But, after a one-week sit at home by the nurses, Governor Lalong through his Commissioner of Health, Dr . Nimkong Ndam Lar has secured a comfortable accommodation close to the hospital as one of the demands of the nurses which had sparked off protest last week at the JUTH isolation centre.

 

The Chairman of (NANNM) JUTH Chapter, Mrs Mercy Lenka told New Telegraph Correspondent in Jos that comfortable accommodation has been provided by the Plateau State government to enable nurses working in the isolation centre make use since they cannot go back to their families everyday, saying already the nurses are back at work.

 

She said the call-off followed progress in negotiations with the state government on the provision of accommodation for the nurses working at the centre.

 

Lenka said that provision of accomodation was stipulated in the guidelines of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for health personnel working in isolation centers.

She said provision of accommodation was critical even if other negotiations would be done later, adding that the protest was necessary as returning homeafter work was risking the lives of family members of the health workers.

”Seeing this progress report, at least even if not all our demands have been met, we are mindful and determined to help the government to tackle the coronavirus disease.

“We decided that we cannot sit at home and say everything should be given to us for we are human beings and have our profession, humanity and patients at heart,” she added.

The chairman said the state council of NANNM and other critical stakeholders in the health sector had initially rejected accomodation provided for them, saying the environment was not conducive.

“We want to appreciate the intervention of elders in the health sector especially and the Department of State Services (DSS) for their input to get a good accommodation for our nurses working at the JUTH  isolation center.

“We were called this morning to come and inspect the place and we are satisfied with it. We have negotiated and arranged everything on their feeding and transportation and those on duty have returned since afternoon,”she said.

Source: newtelegraphng.com

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