Gbajabiamila Alarmed By Doctors’ Strike Despite N4bn Provision In 2020 Budget

…Speaker Urges Suspension Of Action

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, is alarmed by the decision of the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria to begin an indefinite strike on Monday.

He expressed shock that the doctors took the step despite the intervention by the House in making a provision of N4 billion in the revised 2020 budget to address some of their demands, especially the payment of hazards allowances.

The House had met with the leadership of NARD on Tuesday last week, where the demands of the doctors were discussed with a promise that they would be addressed.

A day after the meeting on Wednesday, the House passed the revised 2020 budget of N10.8trillion, capturing N4bn for the doctors.

The speaker, at the meeting, also assured the doctors that all their demands would be addressed.

The Senate concurred the decision of the House on Thursday last week by passing the budget. 

“Gbajabiamila said he could not believe that despite the steps taken by the National Assembly to intervene in the matter, the resident doctors could still embark on the strike.

“Consequently, the speaker appealed to them to call off the strike while all the resolutions reached at last week’s meeting are implemented one after the other.

“He also called on them to consider the plight of average Nigerians as they consider shifting their position”, the speaker’s office said in Abuja on Monday.

The NARD said while commencing the strike that it had earlier given a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government. 

Its National President, Dr Aliyu Sokomba, had stated, “Consequent upon the 14 days ultimatum duly served the Federal Government for indefinite strike action, in accordance with the resolution of the Ordinary General Meeting of the Association on the May 29, we hereby notify you that all resident doctors, medical officers below the rank of Principal Medical Officer and House Officers across all the Federal and State hospitals in Nigeria, shall be embarking on a total and indefinite strike action effective 12:01 am on Monday, 15th June 2020.

“It is important that you make alternative arrangements for the care of the patients as the strike shall be total and indefinite. No service of any kind, be it emergency, care at COVID-19 isolation and treatment centres shall be exempted. We sympathize with the patients and the Nigerian populace.

“For purpose of clarity, the demands on which the ultimatum was predicated include the following; Provision of grossly inadequate appropriate Personal Protective Equipment for all health care workers; Immediate reversal of the illegal disengagement of all 26 resident doctors in Jos University Teaching Hospital, and the payment of all salaries owed them, in keeping with provisions of the Medical Residency Training Act.”