Abia Doctors Shelve Indefinite Strike

The National Associa
tion of Resident Doctors (NARDs), Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, said that it shelved its proposed indefinite strike out of sympathy for patients at the hospital.
The Chairman of NARDs in Abia, Dr Ezurike Ezenwa, said this in an interview with newsmen in Umuahia.
Ezenwa said that the association took a last minute decision during their meeting   in Abuja to shelve the proposed strike earlier agreed on.
He said the body voted for the five-day warning strike, after considering the far-reaching implication an indefinite action would have on patients, in view of the nation’s economic downturn.
“We considered the economic realities on ground via-a-vis our love for our patients, whom we are catering for and said, let us not go on indefinite strike, as earlier planned.
“We decided to embark on the five-day warning strike to make the Federal Government understand that it is not that we enjoy downing tool.
“We only want to draw attention to issues that we have raised,” Ezenwa explained.
He said that embarking on strike at this point in time would portray the association as callous because of the negative effect it would have on society.
However, he warned that the association would be left with no option than to embark on a full scale strike, should the government failed to address the issues in contention.
Ezenwa said that the association assessed the impact of the warning strike at the hospital and was satisfied with the level of compliance, noting that it is “wonderful and tremendous”.
He said that such a national directive was not subject to negotiation by any local chapter of the association.
The chairman said that the management of the hospital was fully communicated about the action.
He expressed concern about the impact of the warning strike on the patients but pointed out that consultants were on ground to fill the gap.
A NAN correspondent, who went round the hospital, reports that out patients and those on admission were still being attended to by some of the consultant doctors and nurses, respectively.
Ezenwa described the strike as “germane” and meant to ensure that their members enjoyed proper placement on the job and salaries accruable to their grade levels.
He listed the deductions in their February and March salaries by 30 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, and the shortage of Junior Resident Doctors in the hospital as some of the challenges facing the chapter.
Miss Grace Ibe, a patient at the hospital who spoke with NAN, urged the Federal Government to engage the striking doctors in a dialogue to avert an indefinite strike.
She expressed fear that the strike could affect many patients particularly those who are on admission, billed for surgery and those who might require emergency care.
Similarly, Chief Austin Nwaigwe, expressed concern over the incessant strikes by health workers in the country and advised the government to find a lasting solution to the lingering problems.
“It is better to engage the doctors in a dialogue to resolve the dispute once and for all, so that it did not snowball to a full-blown strike,’’ Nwaigwe said.