Category: Health

The Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Chapter (LASUTH-ARD), has said that its members might not resume work even if the ongoing nationwide doctors’ strike ends.

The President of the chapter, Dr Azeez Ojekunle, disclosed this at a news conference in Lagos.

“We hereby set the record straight to citizens of Lagos that there are several local issues affecting the Lagos State Chapter of NARD and the healthcare delivery system.

“The LASUTH-ARD, in a show of unparalleled patriotism, has been engaging the government since past years with several correspondences and meetings.

“However, it has been series of unfulfilled promises after four months’ grace period since suspension of the strike.

“Following perceived insensitivity from the government despite all diplomatic measures explored, we were left with no other option than an avoidable industrial action.

“Today marks the 33rd day of the strike with no end in sight at the Lagos State and national levels,” he said.

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The state Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Stella Adegbehingbe, announced suspension of the strike at an interactive session with doctors and members of the House of Assembly Committee on Health.

The doctors, under the auspices of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP), began the strike over alleged poor welfare and payment of percentage salaries by the government.

Other reasons for the strike were non-payment of salary arrears, gross under-staffing of government hospitals following mass exodus of doctors and other health workers from the state, non-regular payment of salaries, non- harmonisation of doctors’ grade level, non-payment of third tranche of COVID-19 allowance and non-implementation of Group Life Insurance for health workers.

However, The Ondo NMA chairman urged the stakeholders to appeal to the government to pay their salary.

She assured the lawmakers that the doctors would return to work soon in the interest of the people.

Reacting to an inquiry about their salaries, she said: “They are yet to pay doctors. Even doctors that are not on strike have not been paid. The last salary we were paid is that of February 2021. Monarchs and religious leaders have appealed to us to suspend the strike and we have listened to them.”

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The Chairman, House Committee on Healthcare Services, Dr Tanko Sununu, made the call at the inauguration of a sensitisation campaign organised by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control in Abuja.

Sununu said, “I am calling on NARD to please look at the situation of the country and call off the strike.

“We do know that there have been issues raised and we are working hard to ensure that those issues are resolved within the shortest possible time. However, we need their cooperation.

“Luckily for us, and as it was even observed in their communique, the National Assembly made provision for many allowances for NARD with residency training fund inclusive.”

“We do hope that the hardship that we have suffered will be short-lived because we will agree and
reach a conclusion that will help this country,” he added.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Dr Ibrahim Oloriegbe, also appealed to the doctors to return to work.

He added that “any issue with strike is about money and you can say you will pay in arrears but there are no arrears for life and our primary responsibility as doctors is to save lives.

“In view of this, whatever the issues are, they can always be resolved through dialogue.

“So, I join my colleagues to call on the doctors to go back to work while discussions are ongoing to resolve the issues at stake.”

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This is coming at a very critical time when the country is currently experiencing a rise in COVID-19 infections; the signal of a third wave of the pandemic.

The doctors reached the decision after their National Executive Council (NEC) meeting by over 50 members across the country.

President of the NARD, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, who made these known in a statement, also noted despite efforts by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila to ensure the Medical Residency Training Funds is captured in the supplementary budget, the Federal Government has failed to disburse the funds to its members.

He said: “The NEC noted the suspension of the total indefinite strike action One Hundred and Thirteen (113) days ago due to Government promises as entailed in the Memorandum of Actions (MOA) signed at the instance of the Minister of Labour, Sen. Dr Chris Ngige.

“The NEC also noted the efforts of the Hon Speaker of the House of Representatives in ensuring that the Medical Residency Training Funds is captured in the supplementary budget. They however frowned at the delay by the Federal Government in disbursing the funds to our members.

“They decried the undue hardship our members on GIFMIS platform are facing due to the delays in payment of their salaries ranging from three to seven months.

“The NEC noted that despite Government’s promise to migrate her members from the GIFMIS to the IPPIS platform, they are still stuck on the GIFMIS platform which is laced with payment irregularities.

“The NEC noted with grievous concerns the circular from the Head of Service of the Federation removing House Officers from the scheme of service and the consequent implementation by the Lagos State Government. They also observed that some House Officers are still being owed 1-2 months’ salaries.

“The NEC noted that bench fee for outside postings by Resident Doctors has been abolished, however, some Chief Medical Directors have renamed the bench fee as training fee causing hardship on her members.

“NEC noted that with regards to the non-payment of the National Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustment, the list of affected institutions and personnel strength had since been submitted to the Federal Ministry of Health as directed by the MOA signed with the Federal Government yet nothing has been done.”

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His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘President Buhari off to London Friday for medical follow-up.’

The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari will proceed to London, the United Kingdom on Friday, June 25, 2021, for a scheduled medical follow-up.

“He is due back in the country during the second week of July, 2021.”

Buhari leaves for London at a time of looming threats of industrial action from the National Association of Resident Doctors.

Meanwhile, NARD had issued a fresh four-week ultimatum to the federal and state governments to address its demands including the payment of hazard allowances.

The association in a communiqué issued at the end of the virtual emergency National Executive Council lamented the failure of the government to fulfil the conditions it laid down with led to the suspension of its strike in April.

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Scarcity of pipe borne water is rocking the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan forcing patients and residents to groan.

The situation, which was said to have started since Saturday, according to unconfirmed sources, forced the rate of surgical operations to have dropped.

But the management of the facility said the situation was occasioned as a result of ongoing renovations of five blocks of the hospital.

However, as at the time of filing this report, many of the toilets had little water left in the big black containers stationed as back-up in the facility.

When contacted, UCH Public Relations Officer Mr Toye Akinrinlola explained that water was scarce because the ongoing renovation was a massive one with an overhaul of the entire water system, sewage system as well as breakage of pipes and toilets of the hospital which had been installed in the late 1950s.

He appealed for the continued patience of patients for the next three weeks when he said the renovation would have been concluded.

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The Federal Government has held a meeting with members of the Nigerian Association of Residents Doctors to avert their planned strike.

The parley was expected to fix timelines for the implementation of the proposals and demands put forward by the doctors who had threatened to embark on indefinite strike from Thursday .

Speaking shortly before going into a closed-door session, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, said the Federal Government and the resident doctors were working closely with regards to the demands of the doctors.

“Addressing your problem is the right thing to do. Government should do the right thing; you don’t need any stick or prodding or push or threat of strike for us to do the right thing,” the minister said in his welcome address.

Ngige revealed that the federal government and other organs of government have been brainstorming on the threat by the doctors with the aim of solving the problem.

He said, “I have read your complaints and I have communicated them to the Minister of Health and the Minister of Finance and as a matter of fact, last week, we held a government side meeting on all the issues. That is why things are where we are now, because we have started solving those problems.

“We put up proposals with even timelines on how to deal with them. We will now look at those proposals with you, fix adequate timelines so that the people on the government side will be implementing and marking them as they execute them.

“I have held informal meetings with the finance people and from what they told me which they will present here today, they have started solving some of the problems, so, I am happy about that.’’

The minister observed that the two committees of the National Assembly had also engaged with the doctors, noting that he was intervening as a conciliator to ensure industrial harmony in the health sector.

Ngige stated, “The National Assembly two committees have also tried to get you and your employers on the same page. We are not your employers here, we are conciliators. You come here when things are broken down, dialogue has broken down and in this case dialogue has broken down because it’s a money issue, it is an economic issue, so we now have to intervene to maintain industrial peace in the health industry.”

“You know as well as I do that we are in a very bad period health-wise, the world over and Nigeria is not an exception. So, we have to think about the generality of Nigerians because right now, 80 per cent of Nigerians are our potential patients because of the COVID pandemic so we have to look at the issue that way and see how we can get the best out of this situation,” he added.

The President of NARD, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, expressed hope that the meeting would come up with solutions to all their demands, noting that it has been a trying time for the resident doctors.

He said, “It has been a trying time for Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors and the health sector generally and that is why we have tried to make ways in trying to improve and build upon in the health system and I hope in this meeting will be able to achieve plenty of things to help improve our health statistics, help improve the welfare of doctors and help our service delivered to patients on time. And I hope with the Honourable Minister of Labour and Minister of Health, we will be able to get lasting solutions to all our demands after the meeting.”

The Presidency says the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), is not a medical tourist despite his medical trip to London .

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, stated this while featuring on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme monitored by newsmen .

The President left the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, for London afternoon and is expected back in the country by the second week in April after his medical check-up in Britain.

speaking on the programme,  Shehu said, “I think there is a misconception of the President’s trip seen in the context of medical tourism. President Buhari is not a medical tourist.

“If someone has kept retainership with medical experts, you are talking about 30 years and plus to examine you and they give you a pass. Would you be changing your doctors every other year because there is a chance that the distance will be shortened? No. I think that the President is wise and quite correct in his decision that he retains some set of doctors who have insured good health for himself.”

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