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The healthcare system in Benue State has ground to a complete halt following the resumption of industrial action by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), just as the ongoing strike by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) continues to paralyse services across the state.
In a strongly worded open letter circulating widely on social media, registered nurse and health advocate Nr. Moses Williams has issued an urgent SOS to the Honourable Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Ogwuche Ejeh Paul, describing the situation as “a shameful and deteriorating crisis” that now demands the commissioner’s direct, decisive, and immediate personal intervention.
Williams warned that the twin strikes have shut down hospitals, eroded public trust, and are already causing preventable deaths, stressing that “with each passing day, this avoidable crisis deepens the suffering of our people.”
He reminded the commissioner that the grievances – including unpaid salary arrears for BSUTH nurses from April to June 2024, withheld statutory allowances, stagnant promotions, acute manpower shortage, and lingering pension scheme issues – are well-documented, legitimate, and represent “a litany of broken promises and administrative failures.”
The advocate implored Dr. Ogwuche to personally brief Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia on the gravity of the situation, lead earnest good-faith negotiations with NANNM and ARD leadership, and immediately remove any bureaucratic obstacles or unhelpful appointees standing in the way of resolution.
“Your ministry is the primary vehicle to translate the Governor’s public commitment to worker welfare into action,” Williams wrote. “You must now work assiduously not just to attend to the unions’ demands but to save our collapsing healthcare system from total disgrace.”
Declaring that “the people of Benue are watching and waiting,” the letter concludes with a clear message: the time for definitive action is now.
As hospitals remain deserted and patients turned away or left in agony, pressure is mounting on the state government to break the deadlock and prevent what many fear could become a full-blown humanitarian crisis in the state’s health sector.
