FG blames state governments for resident doctors’ strike

[By VICTOR NZE]

As the industrial action embarked upon by resident doctors in the country enters its fifth day, Friday, the Federal Government has stated that most of the demands put forward by the striking doctors were the responsibility of state governments to address.

Medical professionals under the aegis of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had declared an industrial action since, Monday, August 2 to press home their demands for implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding it reached with the Federal Government in March 2021 on welfare and other issues that affect members.

In absolving the Federal Government of responsibility for the strike by the resident doctors, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Thursday, in Abuja during a press briefing on Federal Government’s response to the five-day old industrial action, further faulted the medical practitioners, whom he accused of using the anxiety surrounding the third wave of COVID-19 to push forward their demands.

The minister’s present position amounts to a U-turn, as he had in a statement, earlier on Saturday, said the ministry is engaging the striking doctors to resolve the issues quickly, adding that medical directors should ensure service delivery is not disrupted.

Reports indicate skeletal services at some of the public hospitals like; the National Hospital in Abuja, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), as well as, the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) in Cross River, as consultants assisted by nurses now attend to patients.

According to the minister, seven out of the 12 demands presented by NARD were within the jurisdiction of the state governments, insisting that these were not justifiable cause for a nationwide strike.

“In their notice of July 25, 2021, they mentioned states like Imo, Kaduna, Delta and Lagos. The Federal Government cannot force these states to do anything.

“For the issues surrounding the Federal Government, not all of these issues are for the Ministry of Health. The payment lies within the powers of the Accountant General of the Federation. We are also working with other agencies to sort out some of these issues.”

Ehanire also said he hoped the doctors would understand that the ongoing strike would not give them a good image.

“I believe they will call a meeting and reassess some of the issues they tabled.

“We already have people who have retired coming in to say they want to step in. This is not a good time to go on strike.”

Medical professionals under the aegis of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had declared an industrial action since, Monday, August 2 to press home their demand for implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding it reached with the Federal Government in March 2021 on welfare and other issues that affect members.

It would be recalled that resident doctors in the country’s public hospitals, Monday, commenced on an industrial action over dispute with the Federal Government arising from salary and allowances.

Confirming the latest industrial action, president of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa said the strike commenced early Monday and that the government had not reached out to the union since it gave notice of the job action.

Uyilawa said his union represented 16,000 resident doctors out of a total of 42,000 doctors in Africa’s most populous country.

NARD had said in a statement last Saturday that salary shortfalls stretching over months, failure to pay some doctors COVID-19 allowances and shortages of manpower in hospitals were among the reasons that had pushed its members to strike.