Looming strike: Resident doctors urge FG to intervene
(Nigeria) The National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, has urged the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the lingering crises in the health sector to avert an impending strike by doctors.
It will be recalled that NARD had issued a three-week strike notice
that is expected to end on January 2,
2017.
The Public Relations Officer of the association, Dr Ugoeze
Asinobi, told NAN in Yenagoa on Monday that the doctors had shelved the planned
strike three times in the past four months and were bent on going n strike from
January 2.
Resident Doctors are agitating for a uniform template for
the Residency Programme, infrastructure for tertiary health facilities, proper
grading of doctors and payment of outstanding salaries amongst other issues.
“We don’t want strikes but we are going to have to resort to
it again, the residency programme is fundamental to effective healthy care
given the dearth of manpower as the country has less than 20 per cent of
required experts.
“Each time the ultimatum expired we shift it in the hope
that things will be made right within the time given but it is now obvious the
Ministry officials are insincere.
“The issues we go on strike for are always the same issues
and we are resolute to withdraw services come January 2 if our concerns are not
addressed.
“One wonders if health ministry officials are sabotaging the
efforts of President Buhari on purpose as their brazen and blatant disregard to
the most basic institutional needs of the major workhorses of the health sector
leaves a lot to be desired.
“Their attitude leaves one bewildered as sabotage appears to
be the only logical explanation,” Asinobi said.
He noted that officials of Federal Ministry of Health were
playing politics with the lives of Nigerians as they were insensitive and
disconnected from the realities the masses are facing in their daily lives.
Asinobi said that NARD frowned at the wastage in building
new primary health centres rather than rehabilitating, equipping and staffing
existing ones with requisite manpower.
The NARD spokesman explained that resident doctors had
always embraced dialogue and discussions in finding lasting peace but regretted
that their commitment to peace and industrial harmony was yet to be reciprocated.
He said that the present executive of NARD remains committed
to end the myriad of incursions adversely affecting the welfare of resident
doctors.
He appealed to the federal government to wade into the
industrial dispute in the overall interest of the welfare of the citizenry.
Comments
Post a Comment