Edo State doctors under the umbrella of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) have embarked on a two-day warning strike to protest the alleged imposition of Nelson Tenebe as the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Edo State Hospital Management Agency (ESHMA).

The Guardian reports that Tenebe who was recently appointed by Governor Monday Okpebholo.

Doctors and other stakeholders in the sector, outraged by the appointment, which they described as “politically motivated,” had warned of its disastrous consequences on healthcare delivery in the state and threatened to shut down the system if the decision was not reversed.

The doctors, under the aegis of MDCAN, specifically urged the state government to reverse the appointment in a letter addressed to Governor Monday Okpebholo entitled “Notification of a Two-day Warning Strike.”

The healthcare professionals called on the governor to kindly approve Dr Christopher Ehiagwina as the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive of the Hospital Management Agency, as agreed during their last meeting with the governor on 22nd January 2025.

In a letter signed by Dr Clement Ikponmwen and Dr Osaronse Anthony Aghimien, chairman and secretary of the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria (MDCAN) Edo State Hospital Management Agency (ESHMA), respectively, the doctors said, “Unfortunately sir, your directive has not been effected up till now, as though your instructions are being undermined.

This has led to great disenchantment among members after initially being told that you had given the instruction for the name to be announced and the appointment given effect.

“Arising from an emergency general meeting held this morning (January 29th, 2025), the association declared a two-day warning strike to begin at 12 midnight today, 29th of January 2025, if the announcement and appointment are not given effect as directed by Your Excellency a week ago.”

The warning strike has already begun to take a toll on healthcare services across the state, with public hospitals scaling down operations. Non-emergency cases are being turned away, leaving patients and their families frustrated by the disruptions. Many are said to have resorted to alternative medicine or sought treatment at private hospitals.