KATSINA — Patients and their relatives in Katsina State are appealing to Governor Dikko Umar Radda to end a strike that has crippled services in public hospitals. The Assembly of Health Professionals in the state began a one-week warning strike over salaries and welfare after rejecting a 15 per cent pay increase offered by the state government. The government has confirmed both the offer and its rejection. According to a report by Daily Trust, the surgical ward at Turai Yar'adua Maternal and Child Hospital in Katsina had only a few patients on Friday morning. A caregiver, Aina'u Abdulmajid, pleaded with the government to step in, saying her relative was suffering complications after surgery. Another caregiver, Sulaiman Mansir, who brought a sick child to the hospital, urged both sides to return to the negotiating table. Families are also struggling with the cost of transport and drugs as they look for care elsewhere. The Head of the Katsina State Civil Service, Masa'ud Almustapha Banye, said the government had met with representatives of the health workers and expected the dispute to be resolved soon. He said Governor Radda remained committed to improving healthcare in the state. Until an agreement is reached, patients who cannot afford private facilities are likely to bear the heaviest burden of the industrial action.