Resident Doctors Shelve Planned Strike

The National Association
of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) planned nationwide strike action due to commence yesterday has been shelved seven days to give room for more consultations and dialogue with the relevant stakeholders.
This was announced by the National president of the Association, Dr  Muhammad Askira in Abuja on Wednesday while addressing newsmen.
Askira said that the National Executive Council of the Association had agreed to give more opportunities for dialogue and therefore shelved the strike action for now.
Earlier Askira had told newsmen in Kano that the decision to go on strike was taken at the ordinary general meeting of the National Executive Council of the association held between May 30 and June 5 in Jos.
He said “16 out of 58 federal tertiary institutions or centres were exempted from the initial centre based strike for the commitment of the Chief Medical Director of the hospitals to implement the Federal Government’s directives.’’
He said if by midnight of Sunday, June 19, their demands were not met, all the members of the association, including those exempted, would join the indefinite nationwide strike.
Askira said the association found it necessary to take the painful decision following the inability of the government to meet its demands.
“Due to the failure of the government to address the demands of NARD, it has declared a total and indefinite strike.
“NARD has to take this painful decision in order to highlight the plight of our hardworking members who have had to endure a long period of deprivation and disenfranchisement,” he said.
He said the association would continue to be open to discussion and ready to partner government to ensure effective health care service delivery to Nigerians.
Meanwhile, the Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Dr Joshua Giyan-Ndom, has advised health workers in the country to embrace dialogue and shun strike.
Giyan-Ndom gave the advice recently  while addressing newsmen in Keffi, Keffi Local Government Area of the state.
According to him, using strike actions to seek welfare issues was infringing on the rights of patients.
He said that the call has become imperative due to the negative effects of such strikes on patients and the country.
“As we are all aware that any striking action embarked upon by the health workers in the country is always affecting the lives of Nigerians, especially patients, negatively resulting to loss of many lives.
“Because the striking action had brought untold hardship to many Nigerians, especially the privileged who do not have the means to access private healthcare services, and it is our prayer that health workers should always eschew strike action.
“The right of the patients also need to be protected at all the time in order to avoid untimely death, because patients are kings in every health sector and a healthy person can become a patient one day but that is not our prayer.
“It is in view of this that I want to advise health workers as part of self denial toput the interest of their patients first, eschew strike action and embrace dialogue as the only wholesome method of addressing their welfare issues,” he said.
According to him, FMC Keffi is the only federal tertiary health institution in Nasarawa state, rendering services not only to the host state but to other neighbouring states.
Giyan-Ndom also urged Muslims and other Nigerians to use the period of the Ramadan to pray fervently for peaceful co-existence among the diverse ethnic, religion and political groups for the overall development of the country.
Besides, he restated the commitment of the management of the centre to continue to key into policies and programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of patients and workers.
The medical director also called on the staff to reciprocate government effort through hard work and dedication to duty in order to ensure quality healthcare delivery.