The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has voiced strong disapproval of the ongoing strike by resident doctors, led by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). The ministry’s Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako, issued a statement expressing regret over the strike, which was initiated as a seven-day warning in response to the abduction of one of their colleagues, Ganiyat Popoola, who has been missing since December 2023.
The ministry emphasized that despite ongoing negotiations and efforts to address the doctors’ grievances, the decision to strike is unfortunate and counterproductive. It highlighted the significant progress made in recent discussions and the government’s genuine attempts to address the concerns of the resident doctors.
The statement revealed that the government is prepared to enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy for the duration of the strike, according to labor laws. It urged the resident doctors to resume negotiations to work collaboratively towards a solution to the healthcare sector’s challenges.
NARD’s strike, which aims to secure the release of Mrs. Popoola, has seen the association’s president, Dele Abdullahi, declare a complete halt in services, including emergency care. The association has criticized the government’s lack of action regarding the abduction of Mrs. Popoola, a registrar at the National Eye Centre in Kaduna, who, along with her husband and nephew, was kidnapped last December. While her husband has been released following a ransom payment, Mrs. Popoola and her nephew remain in captivity.
WRITTEN AND EDITED BY; CHRISTOPHER AND BLOSSOM.