The National Association of Resident
Doctors has ordered doctors at the COVID-19 isolation centres to join the
nationwide strike it began on April 1.
The NARD has also threatened to impose a
fine of N5m on any of its branches which fails to join the strike.
It also said branches found wanting would
not be able to hold any national position for the next two years.
While the President of NARD, Uyilawa
Okhuaihesuyi, in an interview with one of our correspondents disclosed the
directive to doctors at the isolation centres, the threat to impose a N5m fine
on errant branches was contained in an an internal memo sent out to
members by the National Executive Council of the association.
Recall that NARD, an association of
doctors undergoing residency training, had on April 1 begun a nationwide
strike over government’s failure to pay salaries of house officers and
review N5,000 hazard allowance of doctors.
Last-minute efforts on March 31 by the
Federal Government to prevent the strike failed as the doctors shunned an
agreement they signed with government on the grounds that proposals contained
in it were not new.
On April 1, there were reports that members
of the association at the COVID-19 isolations did not join the strike on
compassionate grounds.
But the internal memo of the association
obtained on Monday threatened to impose N5m fine on any branch
that shunned the strike.
It read in part, “NARD affirms her
commitment to the welfare of all members. All members of NARD will be levied
the sum of N2, 500 as strike levy for the smooth prosecution of the industrial
action.
“Penalty for any centre that sabotages the
industrial action will be payment of a fine of N5m and suspension from holding
any NARD national officers committee positions for two years.”
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the strike,
which entered its fifth day on Monday, might be taking its toll on the
COVID-19 response.
Okhuaihesuyi said doctors at the isolation
centres, who are their members, were asked to join the strike because of
the importance of this particular industrial action.
“I know some people may think we are
selfish but this strike is about improving the health sector and improving
service delivery,” he said.
The NARD President, however, said
consultant doctors should be able to handle emergencies at the isolation
centres for now.
NARD comprises over 40 per cent of the
total number of doctors in Nigeria. There are some 42,000 doctors in Nigeria,
out of which 16,000 are resident doctors – medical school graduates training as
specialists.
Doctors’ strike: CMDs will make adjustment, says FG
The Minister of State for Health, Dr.
Olorunnimbe Mamora, told The PUNCH that he was confident that chief medical
directors in several states would be able to make necessary adjustments.
Mamora, however, said he was confident that
the strike would not be prolonged because meetings were still being held
between the Federal Government and the leadership of NARD.
“I do not envisage a situation where the
strike will continue because we are making every effort to resolve the impasse.
I’m hoping we will continue with dialogue and also ensure we can resolve the
issues with NARD because they form a major work force within the system in
terms of clinical work.
“So, it is in the interest of the country
to have these things sorted out soon. I’m aware that the various CMDs are also
putting in place contingency arrangements,” Mamora said.
Also speaking
with our correspondent, the CMD, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital,
Gwagwalada, Prof. Bishop Ekele, said most of the doctors at the
hospital’s isolation centre were not members of NARD.
Ekele also noted that the number of
patients at the isolation centre had dropped drastically.
He said, “About 90 per cent of the doctors
working at our isolation centre are consultants. So the strike should not have
any effect at our side” he said.
The branch of the association in
Cross River State confirmed that members of the association had
withdrawn their services from COVID-19 isolation centres.
The Chairman of the branch, Dr Godwin
Udoh, said before the strike, “it was resident doctors who were manning
isolation centres. We are in the same union. There is no resident doctor
working at the isolation centres now. “
He also supported the N5m fine slammed on
any state branch of the association which failed to join the ongoing strike.
The NARD at the Aminu Kano Teaching
Hospital, Kano said it was aware of the N5m penalty fee.
The AKTH Chairman of the NARD branch,
Dr Mujahid Hassan, in a telephone interview said the fee
was to ensure members’ compliance with the strike.
On COVID-19 isolation centres, Hassan said
most of the doctors that work at the isolation centres were employees of
the state government.
Grant doctors’ demand, cancer patients, others beg FG
Patients at the University of Ilorin
Teaching Hospital on appealed to the Federal Government to accede
to the request of the striking resident doctors .
Speaking on his sick bed, a patient
said, Abdulkareem Idris, stated, “I’m suffering from prostate
cancer.
The doctors complain of lack of adequate
manpower and necessary equipment to work with. With high volume of patients in
this hospital, there are no enough staff to cope with the situation. I call on
the government to grant their requests. I’ve been coming here since last year
September for treatment of prostate cancer. I was brought here last Tuesday for
emergency treatment while the strike commenced last Friday.”
The Chairman of the NARD at the UITH,
Dr. Badmus Habeeb said that the strike action was 100 per cent successful.
The President of the Association of
Resident Doctors in Akwa Ibom State, Dr Ekemini Udoh, in an interview
with The PUNCH, said, “All the doctors including those at the isolation centres
have withdrawn their services, every doctor below the rank a consultant. Any doctor
at the isolation centres is either a consultant or NYSC doctors.”
Patients at the Jos University Teaching
Hospital said they were disappointed by government failure to stop the strike.
One of them, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said he was admission for chest pains, adding that no doctor had
attended to him since the strike started.
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