The NARD president,
Aliyu Sokomba, described the government’s threat as “empty and the biggest joke
of the century”, adding that the doctors are not intimidated and will go on
with the strike until their demands are met.
The government
threatened to invoke the rule on Tuesday, a day after the NARD, the association
of certified doctors undergoing residency to become consultants, began an
indefinite strike over the failure of the government to meet their demands.
Action, reaction
The doctors said
they downed tools over unpaid salaries, non-payment of hazard allowance, and a
dearth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in hospitals, among several other
reasons.
Shortly after a
meeting between officials of the NARD and that of the government ended in
disagreement on Tuesday, the health minister, Osagie Ehanire, directed all
medical directors in all public hospitals across the country to open a register
by 7 a.m. from Wednesday and record ‘‘those who come to work and those who fail
to come to work’’.
In a circular issued
to all heads of clinical departments and resident doctors on Wednesday, the
management of the Lagos State Teaching Hospital said it will apply
appropriately, the ‘no work, no pay rule’ of the federal government.
Responding to the
threat, Mr Sokomba told PREMIUM TIMES in a phone interview Wednesday night that
they (union) were expecting such a response from the government.
“Instead of them to
address our demands, they are resorting to cheap blackmail that they will
implement no work no pay and sack doctors, is that not the joke of the century
from a government that is not truthful? We are not moved,” he said.
Claims,
counter-claims
Meanwhile, the
Nigerian labour minister, Chris Ngige, had claimed the government has already
begun meeting the doctors’ demand.
He said the new
hazard allowances are being paid to all categories of frontline health workers
involved in COVID-19 treatment in batches.
But on Wednesday,
the NARD president described Mr Ngige’s claims as ‘lies’.
Asides doctors, the
Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) are also complaining of not receiving the
said hazard allowance.
In a letter to the
health minister on Tuesday, JOHEHU, the association of other health workers apart
from medical doctors and dentists, urged the government to pay the hazard
allowances as agreed among other demands.
The NARD president
gave a summary of their recent engagement with the government.
“We issued a 14
days’ ultimatum to the government which expired about 18 days ago. Our demands
include provision of PPE, procurement of life insurance and payment of COVID19
hazard allowance, nonpayment, and slashing of doctors’ salaries in some states
among others.
“None of these has
been addressed. If you asked them today, they will say they have paid hazard
allowance to insurance companies and all. If they have paid, then it is ghosts
they are paying because no doctor in Nigeria or even any health worker has
received any such allowance.
“It is this same
type of government that will tell you they’ve procured life insurance for
doctors but have not done anything.
“They have only been
consistent in lying and deceiving. They are saying we should trust them and
call off the strike but it doesn’t work that way. If you want to be trusted
then stick to your words,” the medical doctor explained.
“They want to sack
16,000 doctors and replace them with what? Maybe Chinese doctors. But I must
say that even China does not have 16,000 doctors to ‘donate’ to Nigeria.
“We are not moved by
an inch by their empty treat. The strike is on course until our demands are
met. In fact, since the government felt that this is the way they will respond,
we are considering withdrawing the doctors we exempted (allowed) to attend to
COVID19 patients to show them their threats mean nothing to us.”
Nigeria is currently
battling the deadly and highly contagious coronavirus which has infected nearly
18,000 persons and claimed 469 lives.
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