Strike: Be patient with us, Resident doctors beg Nigerians
*Say a hungry doctor is an angry doctor
Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has pleaded with Nigerians to be patient with them, saying a hungry doctor is an angry doctor.
In a statement made available to journalists on Monday, NARD president, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said they are not unaware of the sufferings Nigerians are going through due to government insincerity of purpose.
The statement reads: “I want to deeply on the behalf of all resident doctors in Nigeria thank you wholeheartedly for the show of love and empathy towards our cause.
“We are not unaware of the sufferings you all are going through due to government insincerity of purpose.
“It is 120 days today since we headed your call to call off our industrial action following government memorandum of action.
“It is five years and 11 months since we signed the memorandum of terms of settlement (MOTOS) yet Government has reneged.
“As you are aware, today the Government sued us to the National Industrial Court for adjudication.
“As a law-abiding association, we were in court as summoned, but the Ministry of Labour was absent, and only the Ministry of Health was present representing the Federal Government.
The case was adjourned to September 15, 2021. We once again appeal to Nigerians to bear with us because a hungry Doctor is a dangerous doctor.
We are hopeful the Government shall do the needful as it pertains to the welfare of our members thus curbing the ugly incidence of Brain drain. Together we can”.
Recall that the government had dragged the striking doctors to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria for adjudication.
The striking doctors under the aegis of National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, had declared industrial dispute with the Federal Government and proceeded on indefinite strike on August 2 over the inability of the latter to meet their demands.
Efforts by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige, who is the Conciliator-in-Chief of the Federal Government to broker truce between resident doctors and the government has not yielded any positive results as the doctors have maintained their grounds that until their demands were met, they would not call off the strike.
Ngige had on Thursday formally handed over the trade dispute between government and NARD to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria for adjudication.
