New Telegraph

Doctors adamant as FG pressures union to end strike

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) insists its strike continues despite moves by the Federal Government to persuade resident doctors in public hospitals to return to work. The union ordered its members to down tools beginning from Monday over poor facilities, pay and insurance benefits. Following the development, patients have been abandoned to their fate as medical activities in public hospitals have been affected by the strike. President of the association, Dr. Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, said yesterday they would only call off the strike when the Federal Government honours its agreement with NARD as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding between both parties. Uyilawa said without the government honouring the agreement, the strike would continue. According to him, the government failed to honour its promises after they called off previous strikes to press home their demands.

“This time around the strike is total; until they honour their own agreement, there is no going back,” he said. When asked whether the doctors shouldn’t have a rethink about the strike and return to work, especially following the resurgence of COVID-19 in the country, Uyilawa lamented that many doctors died during in the course of delivering care for sick Nigerians.

He said: “Do you know how many medical doctors have died from COVID-19; don’t the children of doctors go to school? “Can’t the government have a re-think about the strike and honour the agreement it signed with NARD? “This is the same question we are asking: shouldn’t the government have a rethink and honour its obligations when (doctors) are suffering and dying?” He said some members of the union had not received salary for upwards of 19 months. “They are human beings like you and me and they have families to take care of,” Uyilawa said.

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