Following a peaceful demonstration by some of the nurses of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) demanding for protective materials, Igbere TV has conducted an investigation over the protest.
From the investigation conducted by our factcheck correspondent, Enugu State Government provided enough quantities of the materials to the nurses and other health workers for which the nurses demonstrated yesterday.
Igbere TV correspondent who also visited the Hospital during the investigation reports that he saw and captured a reasonable amount of protective materials inside a section of one of the hospital packing stores (some pictures attached below). Most of the materials are still untouched by the nurses and are being released to nurses and other health workers on daily basis.
In a bid to also ensure that the nurses utilise the materials judiciously, the hospital gave directive that the nurses should be coming to sign for them individually each day they come to work.
Further investigation conducted by Igbere TV revealed that the nurses’
grievance
was that the state government last week approved 100% CNMESS (Consolidated Health Salary Structure) for medical doctors at Esut Teaching Hospital, Parklane, to get them suspend their strike action, considering the threat being posed by the Coronavirus pandemic globally.
From our investigation, the public show-off was pure blackmail against the state government for approving the welfare package for ESUT Parklane Hospital medical doctors without theirs at the moment.
A Nurse who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said she was shocked when she heard that some nurses took to the streets to stage a protest over protective materials.
She revealed that the Hospital has been provided with the necessary materials to fight the Coronavirus.
She, however, noted that some politicians might have sponsored some of the nurses in order to paint the image of the state government bad.
“I was shocked when I heard about the protest. Despite the fact that some of the protective materials have been become costly because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state government has done its best in providing us with the necessary materials such as nose masks, sanitizers, etc. ”
“It is bad that some politicians instead of supporting the government are trying to play politics with this virus”, she said.
Meanwhile, the management of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Teaching Hospital, Parklane, Enugu yesterday reacted to the peaceful demonstration.
Reacting over the protest, the management said “the nurses were a few who were apprehensive of their frontline status in the management of COVID-19 pandemic”.
While regretting the incident, the hospital management and leadership of the nurses assured the public that they will continue to render health services at the highest level of care as has been the case.
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