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NARD: FG Declares Strike Illegal
The Federal Government
has reiterated its position on the strike action declared by the Resident Doctors under the auspices of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) as illegal and unwarranted.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, stated this while answering questions from journalists in Abuja during the opening ceremony of a retreat recently.
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 (NMA), 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 participated in that meeting”.
He said there is a committee being chaired by Head of Civil Service of the Federation in which the NMA, including NARD, are well represented, stressing that the union should have exercised some patience for the committee to conclude its assignment.
Chukwu added that government understands that some of the issues have not been resolved, but the leadership of the association can do well and exercise some patience before going on strike.
The minister reminded the resident doctors that by embarking on strike peoples lives are involved appealing to the Association to really clam down and exercise some patience as all the issues will be resolved.
The Minister also directed Hospitals indebted to workers and House Officers to compile the number of months of such indebtedness and submit to the Director of Administration.
There is no induction that the Resident Doctors are ready and willing to call off the strike that has entered its tenth (10) day today as The Tide’s visited the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, shown that Nurses are discharging patients for lack of medical attention and treatment.