The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has urged Nigerians to hold the Federal Government responsible for the hardship faced by patients and other people in need of medical attention due to the ongoing strike by its members.

According to the union, its one-point demand remains the implementation of the report on the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for health workers.

“We know the impact of the strike on Nigerian citizens, but Nigerian citizens should not hold us responsible. The government should be responsible because the government must do the needful so we can avert such a strike in the future,” the National Secretary of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), Martin Egbanubi, said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday.

Egbanubi stated that while JOHESU understands the implications of the strike on many Nigerians who cannot access medical services offered by private health institutions, it has also suffered casualties.

It, therefore, called on well-meaning Nigerians to appeal to the government to address the demand.

“It’s quite unfortunate; we’ve said severally in different media engagements that we truly empathise with the masses of this country — the consumers of health [services], those who cannot afford health care outside the public health institutions.

“We sympathise and, of course, you know we are also part of this masses; our members are part of the masses. We have had casualties among our members; as of last week, we lost one of our members at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital,” he stated.

“I think well-meaning Nigerians should appeal to the government to address the demand as quickly as possible so that we can suspend the strike because we are not deriving any pleasure in continuing with the strike.

“It is also not convenient for us because of a lot of difficulties associated with the implementation of a strike — logistics and all that. So, what we are saying in essence is that let the masses appeal on our behalf to the Federal Government to please address this one-point demand of the health workers, and then we are good to go to suspend the strike,” he added.

The national secretary further lamented that despite a series of engagements with the government, including President Bola Tinubu’s assurance that he would mandate the relevant ministry department or agency to address our issue, the demand had not been met.

“We sounded a series of warnings. We had a series of engagements before we resumed the strike that was suspended in 2023, when the President intervened on June 5, 2023, that we should suspend the strike, and he would mandate the relevant MDA to address our issue.

“We have also written a letter to Mr. President to remind him of the engagement on June 5, 2023,” he said.

Indefinite Strike

JOHESU had in November, 2025, announced an indefinite strike action which it said would continue until the implementation of the adjusted consolidated health salary structure was implemented.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the National Chairman of the Medical and Health Workers Union, Kabiru Minjibri, had said the planned strike was expected to disrupt medical services and academic activities across the country.

According to him, the government has made no effort to reach an agreement with the unions.

The decision followed a closed-door meeting after a series of ultimatums and threatened strikes by JOHESU, citing the government’s failure to fulfill key agreements.

TUC Backs Health Workers

Last week, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) backed the industrial action embarked upon the health workers, and rejected a circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on the implementation of a “No Work, No Pay” policy and the stoppage of salaries of members of the joint health sector unions through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), effective January 2026.

The TUC knocked the Federal Government for allegedly trying to intimidate the protesting health workers without considering the economic realities.

It rejected a circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on the implementation of a “No Work, No Pay” policy and the stoppage of salaries of members of the Joint Health Sector Unions through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, effective January 2026.

In a statement jointly signed by its President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary General, N. A. Toro, the congress described the directive as unacceptable and said it undermined ongoing negotiations between the government and health sector unions.

The TUC said the action violated established industrial relations principles and accused the ministry of acting unilaterally while negotiations were still ongoing.