“We Are Just Believing in God”: Caregivers Cry Out as Nurses’ Strike Disrupts Care at UPTH

Caregivers at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) are voicing serious concerns over the welfare of their hospitalized loved ones as nurses at the facility join a nationwide strike action.

The strike, declared by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), began on Wednesday and affects all Federal Government health institutions across the country. The nurses are demanding long-overdue reforms to their salary structure and improved welfare, citing years of neglect, understaffing, overwhelming workload, and poor infrastructure as reasons for the industrial action.

When visited by Essential News, UPTH appeared largely deserted of its usual nursing workforce. Many caregivers expressed frustration, saying they have been forced to take on nursing responsibilities themselves.

“Since morning, just one doctor has come to see my son,” one worried mother said. “Since that time till now, he has not come back to check on him. We are just believing in God.”

Another caregiver lamented the total absence of nurses from the wards: “We have not seen any nurse since morning. It’s the doctors that brought us to the hospital, not the nurses.”

Some caregivers are stepping in to handle basic tasks that would typically be done by nurses—such as feeding, bathing, and monitoring patients. They say they feel abandoned and overwhelmed.

The nurses began the seven-day warning strike after the Federal Government failed to address their demands within a 15-day ultimatum. Despite a last-minute meeting with government representatives on Tuesday, the union insisted on the strike, citing years of unmet promises and deteriorating work conditions.

A follow-up meeting is scheduled for Friday with the Minister of Labour, Muhammad Dingyadi, as hopes rise for a resolution.

In the meantime, many patients and their families are left in a difficult position—navigating a broken health system with no clear answers in sight. For now, faith and resilience are all they have to hold on to.