NMA Threatens Sympathy Strike In Support Of NARD

By Ayodele Oni

The two weeks strike embarked upon by Doctors under the aegis of National Association of Resident Doctors, (NARD) is taking another dimension as the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) threatened to join.

The NMA, in a statement on Friday berated both Federal and State Governments for the lingering strike action of members of NARD, which has paralyzed hospitals to the detriment of the people.

The threat by the NMA is coming just as the minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, went on his knees, appealing to members of the NARD to call off the strike.

Dr Ngige’s stance contradict the position of the minister of health Dr Ehanire Osagie, who threatened on Thursday to impose no work no pay rule on the striking Doctors.

It warned that it would join forces if resident doctors were not paid all their due wages and the strike lingers.

The statement, signed by its Chairman on Inter Affiliate Affairs, Dr Rosemary Uzowulu, titled, ‘High cost of governance, maintained yet payment of doctors to avert health sector destruction a failure from government’, described the ongoing strike as uncalled for if those in corridors of power were sincere.

The body of doctors accused the political leaders of playing a game with the health of Nigerians because they could afford overseas medical treatment.

“It is most unfortunate that budget allocation for newspapers for assembly members, state governors, the presidency is approved and implemented within days of signing by Mr President, and yet the residency training allocation budgeted and endorsed cannot be implemented.

“The country in face of the high cost of governance has decided to use the health of her subject to play chess game where king and queens display the power of crown by killing their guards.

“I call on well-meaning Nigerians across the country to quickly put a stop to the strike by mandating those concerned including the state governors for state hospitals to pay the resident doctors all their due wages or stand the chance of black cloud collapse from NMA if the battle lingers.”

Dr  Ngige, who spoke at the second summit of the Medical Elders Forum in Abuja, said that the decision by the NARD, to embark on strike was incurring more pains on common Nigerians and further decapitating the already fragile healthcare system in the country.

At the Forum organized by the African Health Budget Network, the minister, who described the medical profession as one of the oldest, urged the Doctors not to play “God” by denying their services to Nigerians and reconsider their position.

He explained that such actions were further creating discomfort to the nation noting that the Medical profession was in grave danger.