You may not understand the impact of the ongoing industrial action by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) until the life of a relation, a friend or someone you know hangs in the balance because there are no doctors in the public hospitals to attend to her and she cannot afford the exorbitant charges at the private clinics.
Last Sunday, at the meeting of a women’s group I belong to, a member of the group came soliciting for financial assistance for her husband who was critically ill. According to her, the man had a stroke three days before which affected his speech, balance, memory and other parts of his body. Rushing him to a nearby teaching hospital, they were turned down because the Chief Medical Director (CMD) directed that new cases should no longer be entertained because only the consultants were working and the volume of work was overwhelming.
Subsequently, he was taken to a private clinic but up until that Sunday, no substantial treatment had been given to him because the family had not been able to make the initial deposit of N200,000.00 required, hence she came to solicit for the association’s help.
A lot of people are in a similar dilemma across the country today, no thanks to NARD’s strike. Patients are helpless. Several of them are resorting to quacks and consumption of concoction for a cure to their diseases. Many may have died.
Even the senior doctors who are working hard to keep the facilities alive are apparently not finding it easy. In a recent interview with newsmen, Joseph Eziechila, head of clinical services and second in command to the CMD at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Abuja lamented the effect of the increased heavy workload on the doctors.
“About four doctors broke down last weekend due to stress. Yesterday, the head of the internal medicine unit said even the locum doctors in his team are breaking down. He said they are planning to further downsize treatment and stop receiving new patients.”
And painfully, there is no end in sight going by the recent turn of event where the federal government took the striking doctors to Industrial Court claiming that the industrial action is illegal and the doctors are insisting that the strike will go on until all their demands are met
According to NARD president, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, the industrial action is to push government to honour its agreement on payment of arrears of hazard allowance as well as insurance benefits to families of doctors who have died of the Coronavirus, payment of several months’ salaries owed doctors in many states, among other demands.
Another issue is that of owing about two years’ salaries to doctors in some states. For heaven’s sake, how do the governments of these states expect these doctors and their families to survive? It has become the habit of some governors to deny workers their merited allowances, promotion, salaries and other benefits for whatever reasons they may adduce and it is most unfortunate.
Managements of hospitals across the country have continued to lament the brain drain in the health sector and it is this glaring insensitivity towards health care in the country that fuels the exodus. How can a doctor being owed 19 months’ salary or who does not have equipment to work with, and who has no life insurance be encouraged to be patriotic and stay in the country and help the system work when he has better offers out there?
Every election year, just as we are warming up for 2023 General Elections, during their campaign, political parties and their candidates will reel out very articulated plans towards the transformation of the nation’s health system but it becomes an entirely different story when they win power. For many decades, doctors and other health workers have embarked on strikes for the same reason as the ongoing one.
The big question remains, what is the missing nexus that needs to be located to ensure that we move from promise, from paperwork to having a sustainable health system? Prior to the 2015 election, the presidential candidate of the current ruling party told Nigerians that if his party came on board, medical tourism would be a thing of the past in the country. Today, the same person travels abroad for medical treatment even when the doctors in his country are protesting over several anomalies in the health sector which are collapsing the sector and some people in power say there is nothing wrong with that?
If these countries that our leaders visit every so often did not put their hospitals in order, will they be going there? If they have neglected the health facilities and personnel, will they have found them attractive?
Our appeal is that for the interest of the many citizens who cannot afford to travel abroad for medical treatment and who cannot afford private care, let due attention be paid to our health sector. Let a listening ear be given to NARD’s demands instead of the muzzle flexing between the doctors and the authorities.
The country is currently battling with Delta variant of Covid-19, outbreak of cholera, gastro-enteritis and other health challenges and these doctors are needed to help in dealing with the situation. We cannot afford to allow our doctors to desert the country or continue to stay away from the hospitals. 
More private organisations and good spirited individuals are also encouraged to join hands in developing the health sector even as the striking doctors are advised to reconsider their position. The Minister of Health, Senator Chris Ngige, recently accused the young, striking doctors of playing God. They should not give people the reason to believe what the minister said. They have many times asserted that they love and miss their poor patients. They should demonstrate that love by shifting grounds when it is required so that they do not go back to work at the eventual end of the strike and find out that many of the “loved patients” are no more.

By: Calista Ezeaku