Osun govt urges health unions to shelve planned strike over UNIOSUNTH PPP

The Osun State Government has urged health sector unions at the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, UNIOSUNTH, Osogbo, to shelve any planned industrial action over the proposed Public-Private Partnership arrangement for laboratory services.

The government made the appeal to the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), assuring the unions that the proposed arrangement was intended to improve healthcare delivery at the hospital.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr Akindele Adekunle, in a statement on Saturday said the proposed PPP was not a privatisation programme and would not lead to the displacement of existing workers.

Adekunle said no worker would lose their job, position or employment status as a result of the proposed arrangement, adding that the initiative was expected to improve access to modern equipment, reagents and other consumables.

He said the partnership would also create opportunities for professional development and training while improving the quality and efficiency of services provided by the teaching hospital.

“The fact that the management is convening meetings with the unions, even when discussions with the prospective partners are still ongoing and no final agreement has been signed, is a clear demonstration that the Osun State Government values its workers and considers them important stakeholders in this reform,” Adekunle said.

The special adviser urged the unions to continue discussions with the hospital management and governing board instead of resorting to industrial action.

“We appeal to our highly respected health workers not to shut down a hospital that exists principally to save lives. Industrial action in the health sector does not hurt government alone; it directly affects patients, particularly the poor and vulnerable who depend on public healthcare facilities,” he said.

Adekunle said Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration had maintained its commitment to the welfare of health workers and other public servants in the state.

“His Excellency, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, has consistently placed the welfare of workers and the well-being of our people above political considerations,” he said.

He added that the administration’s position was that reforms should improve the healthcare system while protecting workers and providing better services to residents.

“The Governor’s position is clear: reforms must improve the system, workers must be protected, and the people must receive better services. These three objectives are not mutually exclusive, and the proposed PPP is designed to achieve precisely that,” Adekunle said.

The special adviser said the state government was exploring alternative approaches to healthcare financing and service delivery amid financial pressures confronting the state, including the withholding of funds due to local governments.

He said government needed to explore sustainable solutions rather than allow financial constraints to affect critical public institutions, stressing that healthcare services must continue despite funding challenges.

Adekunle, who said PPP arrangements were already being used in parts of Nigeria’s health sector, added that the proposed arrangement at UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital was intended to introduce additional capacity, investment, technology and efficiency.

He urged JOHESU and NANNM to return to the negotiating table, assuring residents that the government would protect workers’ legitimate interests while pursuing reforms aimed at ensuring accessible, affordable, quality and uninterrupted healthcare services.

The unions in the hospital had set the date for the commencement of industrial action for Monday, September 14, 2026.