The Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, has described as illegal and unjustifiable, the ongoing strike by members of the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD.
The Minister while speaking in Abuja, penultimate Monday, said the protest by the doctors was uncalled for since the Health Ministry and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) had started looking into the issues they raised before they proceeded on strike.
Mr. Chukwu said that it was not only the ministry that was handling the matter, but NMA and the NARD were all part of the meeting.
“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 at certain issues and we had very long meeting with the NMA and indeed NARD.
“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 were 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 think we can do well and exercise some patience before going on strike because when we go on strike, people’s lives are involved,” he stated.
The Health Minister said he refused to believe that the Doctors were being influenced politically.
“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.
Meanwhile, the Head, Press/Public Relations, Ministry of Labour, Samuel Olowookere said the resident doctors were working out modalities on how to suspend the ongoing strike.
He said, “The decision to consider the suspension of the strike action by NARD was reached after a protracted meeting which lasted for over 14 hours.
“In attendance at the meeting included the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; Executive Chairman, National Salaries Income and Wages Commission, Chief Richard Ebule; and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Ambassador Sani Bala,” Mr. Olowookere avowed on Monday in Abuja.
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