Striking doctors adamant, accuse govt of insincerity

• FG appeals for end to the strike

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has vowed not to call off its nationwide strike until it is convinced about the sincerity of the government in meeting its demands.

They embarked on strike from April 1 over alleged poor remuneration and conditions of service. They are also asking for a 50 per cent increase in the N5,000 hazard allowance.

But Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has appealed to the doctors to call off their strike in the interest of patients urgently needing care in the hospital.

Ehanire made the call at a media briefing on Wednesday in Abuja to commemorate World Health Day, celebrated every year on April 7, sponsored by the World Health Organisation and other related organisations.

The association said after its national executive council meeting on Wednesday through a communiqué that “NEC unanimously voted that the ongoing total and indefinite strike that started on the 1st of April 2021 be continued until the federal and state governments of Nigeria meet up with our demands.

“NEC painfully observed that despite all the efforts of by the National Officers Committee (NOC) to ensure that the Federal Government did the needful to prevent the ongoing strike, government has continued in their insincerity of promises hence the current stalemate.”

The association describing as disappointing the statement credited to Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, that he was not aware the doctors were collecting N5,000 as hazard allowance until the coronavirus pandemic started.

It said it had given a two-month ultimatum before declaring the industrial action “when it became apparent that the Ministry of Health was not interested in any form of settlement to avert the avoidable action.”

“NEC also noted that the Memorandum of Action signed was after 12 midnight on 31st of March, 2021 when the ultimatum had elapsed. Without prejudice to the labour laws and other extant laws of the land, the industrial action had already begun before the MOA was signed and as such, not tenable,” it added.

“They noted the admittance of the Hon Minister of state for health who wholeheartedly agreed that all the issues raised by NARD in her communique are germane and legitimate and further admitted that bureaucratic bottlenecks in government led to delay/non-implementation of previous memoranda signed with NARD,” it stated.

After appraising the government’s response to its demands, the association said the industrial action would go even as it expressed commitment to its oath to take care of patients.

It stated, “We want to use this medium to reiterate our commitment to the smooth running of all tertiary institutions in the country and the provision of specialist healthcare to Nigerians but we need to first of all care for our own health and welfare in order to give standard care to our patients.”