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.”