Strike by resident doctors unwarranted – FG

The Federal Government on Monday
said the strike declared by the National
Association of Resident Doctors was
unwarranted.
Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi
Chukwu, said this while speaking to
journalists during the opening ceremony
of a retreat organised for chairmen of
boards of management, governing
boards, governing councils, Chief
Executive Officers and Directors of
Administration of tertiary hospitals and
parastatals in Abuja.
Chukwu said, “The strike by Resident
Doctors was uncalled for because we
were already handling the issues after
our meeting with the Nigerian Medical
Association. I still remember that the
NMA gave us an ultimatum to look
atcertain issues and we had a very long
meeting with the NMA and indeed
NARD participated in that meeting.
“There is a committee being chaired by
Head of Civil Service of the Federation
in which the NMA, including NARD, are
well represented. These are the same
matters being handled; so there are
persons already in a committee handling
those issues and they should have
exercised some patience.
“We understand that some of the issues
have not been resolved but I thinkwe
can do well and exercise some patience
before going on strike because when we
go on strike, peoples’ lives are
involved.”
Asked whether the strike was politically
motivated, the minister answered in
the negative.
“For now, I don’t see it as politically-
motivated; I see it as Resident Doctors
getting restive. But we are appealing to
them to really calm down and exercise
some patience; it will all be resolved”,
he said.
The Minister directed that hospitals
owing workers should compile the
number of months they are owing
House Officers for onward transfer to
the Directors in charge of
administration.
There had been indications that NARD
would call off its five-day old strike
onMonday following the reported
success of the meeting the Resident
Doctors had with the Minister of Labour
and Productivity, Mr. Emeka Wogu; and
Chukwu.
A statement by the Head (Press/Public
Relations) in the labour ministry, Mr.
Samuel Olowookere, said that NARD had
agreed to consider the suspension of its
ongoing strike action.
He said, “The decision to consider the
suspension of the strike action by NARD
was reached after a meeting which
lasted for over 14 hours.
“In attendance at the meeting include
the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi
Chuckwu; Executive Chairman, National
Salaries Income and Wages Commission,
Chief Richard Ebule; and Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Health,
Ambassador Sani Bala.”
Meanwhile, the Provost, College of
Medicine, Idi-Araba, Prof Folasade
Ogunsola, has said that medical
students are affected negatively
whenever the resident octors embark
on a strike.
Ogunsola, who spoke during the KB
Klub’s annual philanthropic day in Lagos,
noted that crisis in the health sector
was not good for students in the
profession.
She explained that resident doctors
helped in training medical students,
adding that it was necessary for
government to curb strike actions in the
health sector.
She said, “Resident doctors’ strike will
have a negative impact on medical
students. It will affect the students’
training. This is because the resident
doctors are part of those who assist us
in training medical students from clinical
centres. They are actually doctors in
training for specialisation.”
Punchng.com